Toronto-based band hopes their unique sound resonates with the audience.
For many bands, finding the sound which defines their music is the key to success.
Think of classic artists like AC/DC or Bon Jovi – or if you prefer the popular ones of today; they all have something which sets their music on a specific path.
But not all bands end up going down this road, with some – like Toronto-based 100 Moons – opting to make their musical style unique, as it changes directions and veers of course.
“The music rises and falls and veers in different directions. A lot of bands make a name for themselves by sticking to one specific sound and marketing in that lane. We’re a bit all over the place, and that might not make sense until you step back and see the bigger picture, but once you do, hopefully it clicks,” said Collin Young, guitarist with 100 Moons. “Our sound moves through different styles kind of like Alice in Wonderland drifting from one surrealist sequence to the next, but with the same main character holding it together. There are obvious nods to some 90s influences, but not in a nostalgia-bait way. That era just felt like a golden period for melodic rock that still pushed boundaries.”
The band – comprised of Young, Jen Vella, Justin Hunt, Matt Laplante, and NJ Borreta,
creates music in the shoegaze genre – a subgenre of indie/ alternative rock which highlights softer vocals and guitar effects to create songs which are “dreamy” and “immersive.”
Young points to the bands creation as a “pandemic project” between himself and Vella.
“It was an experiment in exploring a more melodic sound than the heavier bands I’d been in before. NJ was stoked on the record we made and pushed us to start doing it live. Since it was born as a studio thing, there wasn’t much thought put into the logistics of performing it, so it’s been a complicated journey seeing how we could pull off all the loops and layers live. Once we got a couple shows under our belt we started to put together new material with the full band in mind, which led to the new album.”
The album in question is Black Avalanche the release coming November 2025. The album, which contains messages about fighting the darkness we all experience and understanding that we can’t always keep our heads above water, features songs which Young says are their “own scene and its own feeling you can fall into.”
“It’s less of an open-ended experiment and more of a deliberate, cohesive statement from the band. There was more input from everyone, and the ideas were more refined. I feel a lot more confident that this record represents what we’re about,” said Young.
He adds that this album was shaped by the musicians involved, with more time being spent “in the studio tracking live instruments and hashing out arrangements.”
Since the launch of the album, the band spent some time touring. Of course, stopping and playing in front of a hometown crowd is always special for any musicians. What Young says he hopes for when the band makes a stop is something as simple as audience members not messing with their phones during the set.
“Toronto gets music thrown at them from every direction, so they’re notoriously hard to impress. I’m happy with an enthusiastic head nod. If someone makes it through our set without reaching for their phone, that’s a win.”
To learn more about the band visit promo.v13.net/one-hundred-moons-epk/.
