We’ve got a rare foray into semi-self promotion today. The “semi-” because Blue Drops, the forthcoming debut album from Toronto’s Azure Rose, does not feature me in any way, shape, or form. It’s the solo project from Justin Hinman, formerly of Toronto bands Fjord Rowboat and Bluescreen, both staples of the local ’00s shoegaze scene in the years when that was not a very deep bench. And this is where the “self” comes in, as Hinman – whom I’ve known for about 25 years now – recruited me to play guitar with Bluescreen for the 2006 release show for their second album A Survival Guide To Mishaps And Losses, after which they disbanded (predetermined, not related to me).

Work on Blue Drops began after Fjord Rowboat drew to a close and was recorded as a solo project and eventually a band was assembled to translate the songs live, and that’s where the “self” comes back in. The album is out next week and we play our first live performance next Saturday night – October 3 – at The Monarch Tavern in Toronto alongside local veterans Away Forward and Soft Set, whose respective resumes include many indie fixtures of the last 20 years, many of whom I covered in a previous blogging life. Needless to say, we are in good company. So hey! Come see us! That’s the “promotion” part.

There’ve been a number of preview tracks from the record leading up to the record release and show, but most are new to me too as only a couple are in the live set. Happily, one of those is “Villains”, which is described as”sort of a homage to nostalgic villains and glory days” and:

It’s more jangle-pop summer vibes than anything sinister or evil. It’s like when Teenage Fanclub were on SNL and they mixed ‘What You Do to Me’ and ‘Pet Rock’ into one song.

Justin Hinman, Azure Rose
Villains and Summer Vibes @ Azure Rose

It’s one of my favourites to play and even has an impressionist video made up of footage taken around the now-shuttered Ontario Science Centre.