STYROFOAM ONES

PULSE
MY WEEK IN CLUBS
BENJAMIN BOLES
Fri April 4
Checked out the SuckerPunch event at Teranga, which brought quirky indie bands together with a couple of electro DJs. Particularly impressed by Styrofoam Ones, an up-and-coming trio who’ve got great stage presence and some pretty massive hooks.
- Now Magazine April 10 2008

DISC REVIEW
Styrofoam Ones
(independent) BY BENJAMIN BOLES
Toronto synth-punk trio Styrofoam Ones’ fan base has grown steadily over the past couple of years thanks to their raucous live shows, and they’ve finally documented that energy in this debut EP. It also contains some of the material from the limited-edition 7-inch single they put out last winter. Some of you are probably asking whether we need yet another electro-rock band, but these guys deserve credit for not sticking to the obvious formula and bringing some incredibly catchy tunes to the table.

Part of what makes this EP work so well is that they’ve kept it raw and real-sounding, giving the material an immediacy often lacking in this genre. Playing everything live instead of relying excessively on sequencers for the electronic bits helps on that end, but ultimately what makes this a winner is the songs themselves, which perfectly capture the impatient energy of adolescence.

Top track: Pavement

Styrofoam Ones celebrate their EP release at the Horseshoe tonight (Thursday, October 15).


NOW | October 14-21, 2009 | VOL 29 NO 7

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/discs.cfm?content=171739
- Now Magazine

http://www.soundpollutionmag.com/?p=536

Styrofoam Ones (Toronto): Alex ‘Jr’ Punzalan makes his second NXNE appearance here with Styrofoam Ones. Their 3 song EP barely represents the anxious, manic live show that they perform, solid electronic-tinged pop and rock demanding the dance floor. Schizophrenic keyboard beats moves all their songs, adding to the frenzied theme of the band as a whole, but without being overbearing. It could be a huge mess, but something is keeping it together, and it works in all the ways that you wouldn’t expect it too. Frontman and bassist J gives songs like ‘Pavement’ (one of my listening recommendations) their indie sensibilities, and his lines are dripping with fury. Minimal band members works in favor for these guys too. Without a guitar player you can see the ability of each one to stand on their own with the songs they’ve written, without filler or excuses. First you feel your foot tapping, your leg starts shaking, and you notice people around you are moving too. Get into it. (www.myspace.com/styrofoamones)

- www.soundpollutionmag.com - June 27, 2009

They don’t have an actual release out yet, and there’s only a small handful of raw demo recordings online, but over the past year Styrofoam Ones have been quietly building a strong reputation through their fiery live shows and maddeningly catchy pop hooks.

They fit best within the legions of dance rock bands that have popped up over the past decade, but they’re no cookie-cutter electro band. They’re more like your classic power pop trio, but replace the guitar with some dirty synths and slap some distortion all over the bass guitar to fill in the miss ing dirt. The occasional drum machine in the background is something of a red herring – residue of the times we’re living in rather than an indication of the band’s disco fantasies.

On first listen, their punk energy is what you notice, but once they get to their first chorus, the pure pop potential shines through loud and clear. If there’s any justice in the world, someone will capture this raw, unrefined magic before they clean it up too much. They’ve likely got a great new-wave pop record in them, but we’d like to enjoy this loose and dirty phase of their evolution a bit longer first.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=163518



- Now Magazine