The Hidden Cameras

With their poetic mix of queer politics, explicit sexuality, and theatrical spectacle, the Hidden Cameras have built an ambitious and truly original catalog of music that spans indie pop, folk-rock, electronic, and elaborate symphonic pop. Led by the enigmatic Joel Gibb, the group bubbled up out of Toronto's underground in the early 2000s and became the first Canadian act to sign with Rough Trade, for which they recorded groundbreaking albums that extended far beyond their queercore roots. They built up an international profile with releases like 2003's The Smell of Our Own, 2004's Mississauga Goddamn, and 2009's Origin:Orphan, after which Gibb relocated to Berlin. The band's first German release, 2014's Age, embraced a darker, more synthetic style, though they pivoted to warm, country-flavored folk-rock on 2016's Home on Native Land. Gibb steered the Hidden Cameras toward a sleeker, more electronic sound on 2025's club-inspired Bronto.