Islands is a Canadian
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
band from
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. The group was founded in 2005 by
Nicholas Thorburn
Nicholas Thorburn (born 27 November 1981), also known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, is a Canadian musician originally from Campbell River. He has fronted numerous bands such as The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highw ...
and
Jamie Thompson, shortly after the breakup of
The Unicorns
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
, of which both were members. Their current lineup includes Thorburn, often known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, along with brothers Evan Gordon and
Geordie Gordon
Geordie Gordon is a Canadian musician and music producer known for performing alone and as part of musical acts including Islands, U.S. Girls, The Magic, and The Barmitzvah Brothers.
Gordon was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario. His father is ...
, and Adam Halferty. The band has released 8 studio albums, with their 8th album
''Islomania'' released on June 11, 2021.
History
Formation and ''Return to the Sea'' (2005–2006)
Following the abrupt breakup of
The Unicorns
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
in 2004, members
Nicholas Thorburn
Nicholas Thorburn (born 27 November 1981), also known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, is a Canadian musician originally from Campbell River. He has fronted numerous bands such as The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highw ...
and
Jamie Thompson simultaneously formed Islands and hip-hop group Th' Corn Gangg, and recorded Islands' debut album, ''
Return to the Sea'', during 2005. The album was recorded at
Breakglass Studio and Thompson's bedroom in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, Canada, and was produced by
audio engineer/
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
Mark Lawson.
''Return to the Sea'' was re-mastered in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
for the
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an version of the album, and was released there by
Rough Trade Records on April 3, 2006. In
North America, the album was released on the upstart label
Equator Records on April 4, 2006. The cover of the album is a painting by
Caspar David Friedrich titled ''The Wreck of the Hope''. The album features numerous guest appearances, including members of
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member ...
and
Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 in Montreal. The band released three full-length albums before taking a five-year hiatus in 2011. They announced their return in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP in May of that year, and a ...
.
The band played various shows around the US and Canada throughout mid-late 2005, followed by an opening slot for
Metric
Metric or metrical may refer to:
* Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement
* An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement
Mathematics
In mathem ...
on their early 2006 tour. After ''Return to the Sea'' was released in April 2006, the band embarked on their first full headlining tour, playing small clubs around the US and Canada throughout May. They were joined by
Cadence Weapon
Roland "Rollie" Pemberton, better known by his stage name Cadence Weapon, is a Canadian-American rapper based in Toronto, Ontario. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Pemberton released his first album, '' Breaking Kayfabe'', in 2005 with posit ...
and
Why? on the first half of the tour, and
Cadence Weapon
Roland "Rollie" Pemberton, better known by his stage name Cadence Weapon, is a Canadian-American rapper based in Toronto, Ontario. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Pemberton released his first album, '' Breaking Kayfabe'', in 2005 with posit ...
and
Busdriver
Regan Farquhar (born February 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Busdriver, is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California. He has collaborated with rappers such as Myka 9, Milo, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, 2Mex, and Ra ...
on the second. The band generally received critical acclaim for their live shows, which sometimes ended with the band leading the audience out of the venue "
pied piper style" and onto the surrounding streets.
On May 28, 2006, it was announced that Thompson was leaving the band. Islands decided to continue on without Thompson, and a European tour was scheduled, and further recordings confirmed. The band later emerged the following month for two surprise appearances in Montreal, performing with a new lineup including new drummer Aaron Harris and multi-instrumentalist Kate Perkins, before departing for Europe the following week.
''Arm's Way'', new lineup, and ''Vapours'' (2007–2009)
During subsequent tour dates in Iceland, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, the band premiered several new songs which appeared on their second album, ''Arm's Way'', which was released on Los Angeles-based
ANTI- Records on May 20, 2008.
On June 19, 2009, it was announced that the entire band except for Thorburn had left the group. The new lineup included brothers Evan and Geordie Gordon, and a returning Thompson. Islands' third album, ''Vapours'', was released September 22, 2009, on ANTI-. The band extensively toured the record in North America with
Jemina Pearl
Jemina Pearl Abegg (born June 20, 1987) is an American singer and the frontwoman of Be Your Own Pet, a punk rock band she started when she was 16.
She appeared in the television series ''Gossip Girl (TV series), Gossip Girl'', in a musical perf ...
and
Toro Y Moi
Chaz Bear (born Chazwick Bradley Bundick; November 7, 1986), known professionally as Toro y Moi, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He is often recognized as a spearhead of the chillwave genre in the 2010s ...
. During the spring of 2010, Islands toured Europe, playing shows in Northern and Western Europe throughout March and April.
In an interview with
Exclaim!, Nick Thorburn explained that the overhauled lineup was a product of his desire to try new things. "That's important to me―to be able to constantly try new things. That's why this record's largely informed by electronic stuff like drum machines, sequencing, and programming, which really scales it back from the last record." Thompson once again left the band prior to the summer 2010 tour, and was again replaced by Aaron Harris.
''A Sleep & A Forgetting'' and ''Ski Mask'' (2010–2014)
Following ''Vapours release, Thorburn formed the band
Mister Heavenly
Mister Heavenly is an indie rock supergroup consisting of Honus Honus of Man Man, Nicholas Thorburn of Islands and The Unicorns, and Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse and The Shins. They recorded their first album in late 2010, finishing the year with a ...
with
Man Man
Man Man is an American experimental rock band from Philadelphia currently based in Los Angeles. Their multi-instrumental style is centered on the piano playing of lead singer, songwriter, and lyricist Honus (Ryan Kattner). Honus is accompanied ...
's Honus Honus and
Modest Mouse's
Joe Plummer
Joseph E. Plummer is an American drummer from Portland, Oregon. From 2004 to 2012 Plummer was a percussionist and drummer for the indie rock band Modest Mouse and performed on their album, ''We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank''.
Before joi ...
. The trio released their debut album, ''
Out of Love'', on
Sub Pop Records
Sub is a common abbreviation of words beginning with the prefix "sub-". Sub or SUB may also refer to
Places
* Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB
Computing and technology
* , an HTML tag for subscript
* SUB designate ...
in 2011.
On October 25, 2011, ANTI- announced Islands' fourth record, ''A Sleep & a Forgetting'', which was released February 14, 2012. In a statement, Thorburn explained, "I left New York after the end of a relationship and came to Los Angeles. There was a piano where I was staying and that's where I wrote these songs. This record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming. I started writing it on Valentine's Day and it's coming out on Valentine's Day." Drums on the record were played by Luc Laurent, who officially joined the band in November 2011 after his band Pepper Rabbit broke up. The song "Hallways" from the album was featured in a commercial for Dell and the Microsoft Surface tablet.
On July 9, 2013, Thorburn revealed ''Ski Mask'', Islands' fifth record, and the first with new drummer Adam Halferty. That same day, the band premiered the lead single, "Wave Forms". The album was released on September 17, 2013, followed by a number of tours across the US, Canada, and Europe, including an appearance at Primavera Sound Fest in Barcelona.
''Should I Remain Here, At Sea?'' and ''Taste'' (2015–2016)
During the summer of 2015, Islands simultaneously recorded two records: ''Should I Remain Here, At Sea?'', a spiritual successor to the band's debut album, ''Return to the Sea'', and ''Taste'', a "more electronic" album "buoyed by drum machines, programming and vintage synths." The albums were released on May 13, 2016, via the band's own Manqué label, reaching #21 and #23 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts, respectively.
''Islomania'' (2016–present)
After the dual release in 2016 and the subsequent tour, the band was largely inactive for a few years, without any touring or new music. Thorburn has stated in interviews that he quit the band in 2016, but returned to it after beginning to write new music that he felt was "for Islands only." The new album ''Islomania'' was announced on March 3, 2021, and released on June 11, 2021.
Members
Current
* Evan Gordon
* Geordie Gordon
* Adam Halferty
*
Nicholas Thorburn
Nicholas Thorburn (born 27 November 1981), also known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, is a Canadian musician originally from Campbell River. He has fronted numerous bands such as The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highw ...
Former
* Aaron Harris
* Patrice Agbokou
* Sebastian Chow
* Alexander Chow
*
Michael Feuerstack
* Patrick Gregoire
*
Jim Guthrie
* Kate Perkins
*
Jamie Thompson
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
See also
*
Music of Canada
The music of Canada reflects the diverse influences that have shaped the country. Indigenous Peoples, the Irish, British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has also subsequently been ...
*
Music of Quebec
Like many cosmopolitan cities, Quebec is a home for all genres of music. From folk music to hip hop, music has always played an important role in Quebecer culture. In the 1920s and '30s singer/songwriter Madam Bolduc performed comedic songs in ...
*
Canadian rock
Rock music of Canada is a wide and diverse part of the general music of Canada, beginning with American and British style rock and roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern ...
*
List of Canadian musicians
This is a list of Canadian musicians. Only notable individuals appear here; bands are listed at List of bands from Canada.
0-9
*347aidan - rapper
A
* Lee Aaron – jazz and rock singer-songwriter, also known as "Metal Queen"
*Abdominal – hi ...
*
List of bands from Canada
References
External links
*
Pitchfork Medianews article
Secret Unicorns ForumPost break-up information of all The Unicorns related projects
June 2008 Interviewwith
L.A. Record
Interview with Nick Thorburnfrom Drop-d.ie
Acoustic Session with 'They Shoot Music – Don't They'Nick Diamonds of Islands performs new songs in June 2010 as a guest on Radio Happy Hour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islands
Musical groups established in 2005
Canadian indie rock groups
Canadian indie pop groups
Musical groups from Montreal
Rough Trade Records artists
2005 establishments in Quebec
Anti- (record label) artists