Mad Iris - Mad Iris [LP]

Toronto's Mad Iris has been playing live in the local underground scene since 2023, blending noise rock, punk, and shoegaze into a sound that honors influences like Sonic Youth, Pixies, and the Breeders. Their self-titled debut album covers desire, obsession, longing, and grief, taking place in basements, night buses, and gas stations, with gum stuck to desks and drinks spilled on sticky floors. Throughout the record, distorted vocals crash and ascend in unison with thrashing drums, plump basslines, and staticky guitar overdrive, lurching between restraint and eruption.A Mad Iris song teeters on disaster, shifting from gritty feedback to intentional sloppy haze, like the sound of a tape machine overheating. Strong, sparkling production is complemented by a wall of noisy visuals: videos that emulate a worn VHS tape, scrapbook show flyers, and alleyway photoshoots. "Our visuals are an integral part of the band's style," says bassist Ela Hinatsu, who shares lead vocals with guitarist Kaiya Rosie, often on the same song. With a deliberate sound, style, and presence, Mad Iris goes beyond being a band, becoming more of an art project.Opening track, "Silver Nails", sets hushed, breathy vocals floating over a screechy guitar line, played by Patrick Muldoon, before collapsing into distorted, whiny grit and greedy screams, ending the track with a guitar solo from producer / mixer Ximuna Diego, who, with his own musical expertise, is the secret to Mad Iris' signature distorted sound. The album oscillates between sweet and bitter, pretty and dirty, lust and shame. "Poor Baby" is soaked in self-pity and pointed blame, building from scratchy dual vocals and warm analogue tones into a fever pitch, led by drummer Josh Pryce. "Goldfish" opens with buzzing guitar riffs and addictive drums, as bittersweet vocals cut through muddy noise. The song strips the intensity and cattiness of other tracks, framing loss in a bright, chaotic context, with vocals weaving between jangly hooks. On record, Mad Iris is raw, unpolished, and intimidatingly cool. Off-stage, they're grounded and self-aware. As Pryce puts it, "We're just four friends hanging out and making music together. There's lots of playful love in it." That chemistry drives their energetic debut.