Little City

A band needs to know where they’re from in order to know where they’re going.

Little City came from the close suburbs and not-as-close rural reaches of the larger Toronto area, forming in the heart of the city. Through classic folk textures and understated power-pop seamlessness, Little City aim to refine a craft that merges the brains and hearts of their dense music and words, steeping it in reflection, inspiration, and momentum.

Joel Dickau’s powerful, restrained percussion grounds Dave Clarke’s uplifting bass and provides the perfect foundation for Trevor Kai’s virtuosity on the keys (and accordion!) as he adds effortless elements of both exuberance and solemnity. The same can be said for brothers Jordan and Shaun Axani’s intricate, guiding guitar melodies, and of course Frances Miller’s arresting roots-tinged vocals, as her distinct whisper-turned-wail dynamics and warmth anchor the songs’ vast sound scope.

With a reverence and fascination for recreating classic pop sounds and their youth’s innate inclination towards current indie and folk structures, Little City lay conspicuous and skillful claim to influences ranging from veterans Fleetwood Mac and Paul Simon to contemporaries Wilco and the Arcade Fire. Having worked through the winter and spring to perfect their songs with renowned Canadian producer/engineer Laurence Currie (Sloan, Hey Rosetta!, Holy Fuck), they’ve found an ally in his fine-tuned ear as he helped cultivate a sound that owes as much to the past as it does to the present—an expansive sound already showcased at multiple venues in Toronto, and soon to be taken east for a series of shows to Quebec and back.

Little City is an ode to the lost and the found, not only in music, but in self.