b i o

You might expect a band named The Polytones to wear different stripes and sounds on their sleeves. Precise power-pop drumming. Lush, swirling harmonies. Unpredictable bass lines set against the urgency of compelling, heartfelt and folk-tinged vocals. Ottawa's The Polytones are as unique as they come, with a knack for artful melody that brings to mind bands as diverse as Belly and Cocteau Twins, Stars and New Order.

Little wonder, then, that the band happens to be made up of a cross-section of talent from the local scene: celtic rock stalwarts Jimmy George, beloved Kelp Records rockers Paperjack, and indie-pop mainstays Toque.

All this unlikely chemistry is precisely what makes the Polytones' debut full-length resonate so well with listeners. You and I were made of dynamite...(Independent, 2006) is the letter from a crush passed to you in class, taking you on an emotional journey through strikingly beautiful, heart-wrenching tales of lost love and lust : "What are you waiting for?" asks you out, "April afternoon" is the honeymoon, "King of Siam" puts everything on the rocks and "Broken stems" dumps your ass like the Thursday trash. "The Weatherman" is the teary conversation with your bestest friend ever on your pink mattell-o-phone.

You could argue the record is sending a few more mature signals of long-term commitment, though, sweeping audiences across the country off their feet. Dynamite garnered widespread critical acclaim, topped national college radio charts, won the band a Toronto Independent Music Award for 'best indie rock', and helped the band place a song ("After the Show") as the closing theme for the Comedy Network's Jon Dore Television Show. Not a bad start for a debut, but the love song is only getting sweeter.

The question now, then, is how to follow all of this up with a new album. The band's response? Why, irresistable new songs about brain-teasers, geological phenomena, Winnebagos and things that sparkle, all scattered over disco rhythms and their trademark shimmering guitars ...of course. The only thing predictable about the follow-up to Dynamite is that it'll hit stores and airwaves near you in 2008.

George Jennings, Brenda Bedford,
Lesia Manchulenko, Tim MacKinnon
and Ben Wilson