Before they founded Weaves, Jasmyn Burke and Morgan Waters were typical Toronto indie misfits. Singer Jasmyn, who’d just sacked off Yeah Yeah Yeahs-inspired buzz band Rattail, was venturing into niche art shows around the city, while guitarist Morgan, an ex-children’s TV presenter, was writing a comedy web series about “one man’s misguided quest to conquer the world of home shopping”.
So far, so tragically hip, but Weaves tap into something else entirely; they jam-pack tunes with enough postpunk hooks, surf-pop jangle and manic soul to charm stoned basement punks and genre-hating oddballs alike. In 2014 they released a self-titled EP full of bitesize odysseys like ‘Buttercup’, a cartoonish blend of indie-pop, R&B and, in a weirdly epic chorus, classic rock. Breezy single ‘Motorcycle’, meanwhile, could’ve soundtracked a bar brawl between Karen O, Julian Casablancas and the whiskey-ravaged ghost of Jim Morrison.
Later this year, Weaves finally unleash their debut full-length. Speaking to us before they played Glastonbury last year, Jasmyn said: “The EP experimented with what we wanted this band to be, but now we’ve figured out our sound. It’s more of a band.” Brilliantly, she also let slip that she earned the nickname Grandma Jazz for her legendary homemade peanut butter. “I like to experiment. I make my food like I make my music.”
Check out the brilliant ‘One More’, which is the lead single from Weaves’ self-titled debut LP out June 17 via Kanine (US), Buzz (CAN) & Memphis Industries (RoW):