The Elwins - Beauty Community (2017)

Toronto, Ontario indie pop group the Elwins formed in 2008 when singer/guitarist Matthew Sweeney and drummer Travis Stokl were in high school. They discovered a mutual passion for the Flaming Lips and decided to start a band. After playing as a duo, and releasing a self-titled EP in 2008, the band added Feurd Moore on guitar and keys, as well as bassist Christopher Shannon. The Elwins spent the next few years playing shows and festivals (like SXSW and Pop Montreal) and honing their sound, taking time to record various singles and an EP with their friends Dr. Ew and Thomas (the aptly titled The Elwins & Friends, Vol. 1) before getting to work on their debut album. Recorded in Seattle, And I Thank You was self-released by the band in early 2012. Shannon left soon after and was replaced by Frankie Figliomeni. The album was reissued in the U.S. by We Are Busy Bodies in the spring of 2013. After headlining a tour of North America and Europe in the fall of 2013, the Elwins signed with Hidden Pony Records, which handled the North American release of their second full-length album, Play for Keeps, in early 2015. ~ Tim Sendra & Marcy Donelson.