EP. 118 What’s Up With Montreal?
From The New Dad Rock · 25:53
Show by Steve Nelson & Keith Nottonson
What exactly is in the water in Quebec? And how did a band of polka-dotted, papier-mâché-headed aliens playing microtonal math rock become one of the biggest musical sensations of 2026?On this first installment of a two-part exploration of Montreal's gloriously weird musical universe, Steve and Keith start with Angine de Poitrine, whose jaw-dropping KEXP performance sent the internet into a collective state of disbelief. But behind the bizarre costumes, impossible guitar work, and claims of being 333-year-old time travelers lies something even more interesting: a band that's spent years developing its own musical language, only to have the world suddenly catch up.From there, Steve takes Keith back to the early 2000s and the wonderfully unhinged world of The Unicorns, whose Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? remains a singular collision of infectious pop, lo-fi chaos, and existential dread. Then there's Islands, whose expansive, adventurous debut Return to the Sea transformed that same restless imagination into something altogether grander.Along the way, the guys revisit Wolf Parade's combustible Apologies to the Queen Mary, the epic soundscapes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and a remarkable period when Montreal seemed to be producing bands that had little in common beyond their refusal to play by the rules.Is there really a Montreal sound? Or is the city's greatest musical export the freedom to sound like absolutely nobody else?Put on your polka dots, tune your guitar somewhere between the notes, and join us for part one of a two-part journey into one of indie rock's most adventurous musical hotbeds.Let us know what’s up. Support the showDid you know that The New Dad Rock has swag? Coffee mugs, pillow and t-shirts in a multitude of colors and arm lengths.
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