{"id":26322,"date":"2017-08-01T12:15:45","date_gmt":"2017-08-01T16:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=26322"},"modified":"2018-05-21T16:37:04","modified_gmt":"2018-05-21T20:37:04","slug":"torontos-whimm-sign-pleasence-records-share-new-song-town-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=26322","title":{"rendered":"Toronto&#8217;s WHIMM share new song &#8216;Town Hall&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-26323\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/16901817-3b46-4e0f-9e5c-e32df47402e1.jpg?resize=1018%2C727\" alt=\"WHIMM\" width=\"1018\" height=\"727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/16901817-3b46-4e0f-9e5c-e32df47402e1.jpg?w=1018&amp;ssl=1 1018w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/16901817-3b46-4e0f-9e5c-e32df47402e1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/16901817-3b46-4e0f-9e5c-e32df47402e1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/16901817-3b46-4e0f-9e5c-e32df47402e1.jpg?resize=624%2C446&amp;ssl=1 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>Toronto post-punk trio\u00a0WHIMM have announced that they&#8217;ve signed to Pleasence Records. To celebrate their addition to the label&#8217;s roster, they shared the feverish first song\u00a0from their upcoming debut album. Listen to <em>Town Hall<\/em> via Soundcloud below.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F334259094&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&color=807f7f\"><\/iframe>\n<p>With contributions\u00a0from producer Dean Tzenos of Odonis Odonis, Anna Mayberry of HSY \/ Anamai, and electronic artist Scott Hardware, WHIMM&#8217;s debut LP\u00a0joins Pleasence Records&#8217;\u00a0dense and diverse\u00a0discography that\u00a0includes acclaimed\u00a0releases from Slim Twig, Aidan Baker, <a href=\"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/2016\/06\/03\/traitrs-premiere-new-track-youth-cults\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Traitrs<\/a> and Young Guv.<\/p>\n<p>WHIMM singer\/guitarist Mounir Chami provides a cryptic statement on the song:\u00a0<em>&#8220;I think about discussion and question if I&#8217;m physical enough. I switch from being passive to active, between different ways and beliefs. Try listening to both sides&#8217; needs.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For the past three years, Toronto&#8217;s\u00a0WHIMM\u00a0have brought the searing intensity of their live performances to\u00a0stages across North America, honed through\u00a0touring\u00a0and shows\u00a0with likeminded artists like\u00a0Ice Age,\u00a0Merchandise\u00a0and\u00a0Frigs. Singer\/guitarist Mounir Chami, bassist Andrew Matthews, and drummer Jonathan Pappo create ominous, emotionally charged avant-rock fusing spellbinding melodies with an\u00a0urgency akin to\u00a01980s anarcho-punk.<\/p>\n<p>To capture this\u00a0feverish\u00a0sound on\u00a0their debut LP,\u00a0WHIMM tapped producer Dean Tzenos, mastermind of abrasive industrial punks\u00a0Odonis Odonis.\u00a0The album&#8217;s 9 tracks were obsessively refined over several months both onstage and in their garage rehearsal space, yet the band purposefully limited recording sessions to two rapid-fire days with engineer Ian Gomes at Toronto&#8217;s Union Sound (Fucked Up, METZ, Greys).<\/p>\n<p>While bottling the band&#8217;s frantic energy, these recordings also\u00a0add\u00a0new dimensions to WHIMM&#8217;s musical landscape, expanding their instrumental palette with violin, piano, and cello from members of Toronto groups\u00a0HSY,\u00a0Scott Hardware, and visual artist\u00a0Olenka Syzmonski.\u00a0The album\u00a0draws on influences ranging from Southern Gothic country, as heard on cinematic opener &#8220;Ember in the Wheat&#8221;, to the uncompromising experimentation of late period Scott Walker.<\/p>\n<p>Lyrically, the record\u00a0is refracted through multiple fields of vision, gazing at a splintered world through the eyes of the displaced. Perspectives range from an immigrant office worker forced to assimilate to their environment (&#8220;Ushers&#8221;) to an H.P. Lovecraft-ian\u00a0haunted soul struck and captured by horrific apparitions (&#8220;A Stare Ajar&#8221;).\u00a0Chami penned these character studies while pulling from the stories of his family and his own experiences as a Palestinian living in Canada, wrestling with\u00a0internal conflicts while feeling trapped between worlds.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;I think about being part of a diaspora constantly,&#8221;<\/em> says Chami. <em>&#8220;Between the home where I&#8217;ve been raised and what that demands, and what society and my friendships demand, where do I fit in? How do I stop feeling strange in these environments? I exist in both of them but I don&#8217;t really understand how.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>WHIMM&#8217;s members also exist between musical worlds &#8211; with Chami adding heavenly piano keys to\u00a0Scott Hardware&#8217;s ecstatic house, Pappo playing drums for hyperactive indie-rockers\u00a0Hooded Fang,\u00a0andMatthews working with his own minimal techno project\u00a0HOST.\u00a0Rejecting genre boundaries while synthesizing various sonic strategies, the trio finds a kinship in catharsis.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;Instead of musical influences, I think about the relationships of instruments and people coming together,&#8221;<\/em> says Pappo. <em>&#8220;We talk a lot about frustration and emotional release. But even though the music sounds aggressive, there&#8217;s always an emotional tenderness or reaching out at its core. It&#8217;s not just pointless frustration; there&#8217;s a trajectory.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Toronto post-punk trio\u00a0WHIMM have announced that they&#8217;ve signed to Pleasence Records. To celebrate their addition to the label&#8217;s roster, they shared the feverish first song\u00a0from <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=26322\" title=\"Toronto&#8217;s WHIMM share new song &#8216;Town Hall&#8217;\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[23,28,30],"tags":[4888,925,6457,6456],"class_list":["post-26322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indie","category-music","category-new-release","tag-pleasance-records","tag-post-punk","tag-town-hall","tag-whimm"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/16901817-3b46-4e0f-9e5c-e32df47402e1.jpg?fit=1018%2C727&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-6Qy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27223,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=27223","url_meta":{"origin":26322,"position":0},"title":"WHIMM streams debut album &#8216;A Stare Ajar&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"November 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Toronto avant-rock\u00a0trio WHIMM's\u00a0debut album 'A Stare Ajar'\u00a0is out now. The nine-song collection\u00a0was released on October 27th via Pleasence Records, and is now available here. You can stream it via Soundcloud below to take a listen before you grab it. For the past three years, Toronto's\u00a0WHIMM\u00a0have brought the searing intensity of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Webp.net-resizeimage-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Webp.net-resizeimage-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Webp.net-resizeimage-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Webp.net-resizeimage-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Webp.net-resizeimage-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26918,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=26918","url_meta":{"origin":26322,"position":1},"title":"WHIMM share &#8216;Second Sound&#8217; video","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"September 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Toronto's\u00a0WHIMM\u00a0have shared the video for their track Second Sound.\u00a0The\u00a0video includes appearances from members of fellow Toronto bands such as\u00a0Jimmy Tony from Dilly Dally, Erik Jude and Anna Mayberry\u00a0from HSY,\u00a0Patrick\u00a0Flegel and Scarlett Rose\u00a0from Cindy Lee, and\u00a0April Aliermo and Dan Lee from Hooded Fang\u00a0amidst a barrage of\u00a0black & white 35mm photos shot\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"WHIMM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/9c92852d-23a5-4f97-a541-83fd02429f2f.jpg?fit=1024%2C685&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/9c92852d-23a5-4f97-a541-83fd02429f2f.jpg?fit=1024%2C685&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/9c92852d-23a5-4f97-a541-83fd02429f2f.jpg?fit=1024%2C685&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/9c92852d-23a5-4f97-a541-83fd02429f2f.jpg?fit=1024%2C685&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7411,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=7411","url_meta":{"origin":26322,"position":2},"title":"HSY release debut EP","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"September 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Toronto-based sludge punk group HSY will release a self-titled\u00a0debut EP\u00a0on 7\" vinyl September 17, 2013 via Buzz Records. \u00a0Pulling together elements from the 80's post punk vibes of Section 25 and 90's sludge metal legends The Melvins, HSY crafts the perfect soundtrack for Toronto's seedy underbelly. The EP was recorded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"HSY group photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/HSY.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/HSY.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/HSY.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/HSY.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6278,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=6278","url_meta":{"origin":26322,"position":3},"title":"Toronto&#8217;s Odonis Odonis reveal new single &#8216;Better&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"March 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Toronto-based industrial surfgaze trio Odonis Odonis revealed their new single Better, from the upcoming EP of the same name, which is out\u00a0April 16\u00a0via\u00a0Buzz Records. Listen to the track via Soundcloud below. The band will be touring this spring as main support for\u00a0METZ, as well as playing this year's Austin Psych\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Odonis Odonis","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/odonis-odonis.jpg?fit=800%2C541&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/odonis-odonis.jpg?fit=800%2C541&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/odonis-odonis.jpg?fit=800%2C541&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/odonis-odonis.jpg?fit=800%2C541&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14260,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=14260","url_meta":{"origin":26322,"position":4},"title":"HSY announce debut album + release single &#8216;Scratch&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"July 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"HSY has revealed the first single from their debut LP, 'Bask.'\u00a0The single,\u00a0Scratch, smacks you in the face with\u00a0buzzsaw guitars and a hyper-saturated drums and bass\u00a0propelling Jude\u2019s guttural vocals. According to Jude, Scratch was the first song written for HSY and addresses his own youthful self-regard. \u201cIts basically about being an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"HSY group photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/HSY.jpg?fit=620%2C391&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/HSY.jpg?fit=620%2C391&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/HSY.jpg?fit=620%2C391&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28514,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=28514","url_meta":{"origin":26322,"position":5},"title":"Canadian Music Week 2018 announces more artists","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"March 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Canadian Music Week\u00a0(CMW) has announced the next wave of artists performing at this year's festival taking place May 7-13, at over thirty official CMW venues across downtown Toronto. Atlanta MC, and trap rap king\u00a02 Chainz, Canadian electronic solo artist\u00a0Alice Glass, Seattle based DJ and producer\u00a0Sango, The Used\u00a0and our local faves\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;live&quot;","block_context":{"text":"live","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=25"},"img":{"alt_text":"Canadian Music Week","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MARCH6_Announcement_1081x1080.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MARCH6_Announcement_1081x1080.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MARCH6_Announcement_1081x1080.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MARCH6_Announcement_1081x1080.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26322"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29277,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26322\/revisions\/29277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}