The Bitters

Throwing up a wall of sound spanning the rock era, featuring elements of '60s girl groups, no wave, shoegaze, indie rock, grunge, and modern electro-pop, the Bitters quickly earned their reputation as one of Toronto's most exciting live bands. Essentially the duo of singer/percussionist Aerin Fogel and multi-instrumentalist Ben Cook (ex-Young Governors) with a rotating cast of supporting players, the act unveiled its disarming concoctions in 2008. The Bitters released a debut 7" on Captured Tracks the following year. Fogel's vocals alternating between Exene Cervenka's punk posturing and Harriet Wheeler's delicate charm while she and Cook hoisted up every musical trick short of banging on the kitchen sink, the pair were one of the breakout hits of 2010's South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX. ~ Jason Thurston