by Grady Mitchell | Hard as it may be to face it, summer is coming to a close. The sun dips down long before we’re ready and it’s already taking the thermometer with it. Luckily, Nightshifting, the new album from Vancouver duo Fake Tears, will be a soothing soundtrack for the wintry nights ahead. Moody and pulsing, Fake Tear’s music will help you see the beauty in the dark and pair beautifully with long nocturnal walks down rain-slicked streets.
The band’s sound, which they describe as “femme fatale synth pop,” centres on the seamless harmonies of its two members, Larissa Loyva and Elisha May Rembold, who both also play keys. “You feel it in your brain, you feel it everywhere, in your whole body,” Larissa says of weaving her voice with Elisha’s. On nearly every track their vocals combine into a heavenly, powerful sound that soars over throbbing synth lines and drum machines.
Both Larissa and Elisha have strong musical pedigrees: Elisha plays bass in a number of other Vancouver bands, including Shimmering Stars, and Larissa has supported acts like How To Dress Well and one of Vancouver’s greatest exports, Dan Bejar of Destroyer. This particular band emerged from Larissa’s attempt to start an all-women supergroup. Things started out well, but after a few jam sessions the others dropped out until only Larissa and Elisha remained. Once they realized how well their voices intertwined, they decided to run with it, and their electro-noir was born.
You can stream (and buy!) Nightshifting on the band’s bandcamp now.