Post Romance
Hamilton, ON, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
Hailing from Hamilton, ON in the Great White North comes Post Romance with a remastered track featuring their signature “happy sad power pop” sound. Melodic guitar riffs and sing-along vocals provide an escape from this subzero winter that will have you feeling like you’re cruising down a night’s road with the beach in the air and a summer breeze through your hair.
Post Romance is currently in the studio working on a new EP to be released this summer. - buffaBLOG
When Detour played their set at the Casbah for McMaster’s Battle of the Bands finals this year, they did not expect to win.
Although they had supporters in the crowd, they realized that the venue had hit maximum capacity due to the amount of people their competitors drew to the audience.
Despite their pessimism, Detour earned a surprise win.
Comprised of Emman Alavata, Victor Zhang, Marco Goldblatt and Jaden Raso, the fresh-faced power pop outfit is the quintessential edgy, gritty, practice-in-mom’s-garage boy band from the high school days of yesteryear.
Detour started in the hallways of Westdale Secondary School, where Alavata walked into the wrong classroom in Grade 9 and ended up discussing the Foo Fighters with Zhang for the duration of that class.
Detour has credited their success as a band to the supportive atmosphere of Hamilton’s music scene, where venues like the Casbah and This Ain’t Hollywood book artists of a wide variety of styles and at varying stages of their careers.
“Arkells, [Counterparts, Teenage Head, The Dirty Nil]… all of these bands have set the bar so high… but [the supportive community in Hamilton really helps]… I remember [Brodie Schwendiman] from the Casbah booking us to open for Dear Rouge when we just started out… we went up to them a year ago and they still remembered us,” said Alavata.
Since the band’s inception in 2014, Detour has released 19 songs in total through several EPs and their debut full-length album.
The group describes their music as happy/sad power pop, referencing their heavy power pop influences and how their music seems happy at first but is actually quite sad in nature.
Detour’s music derives from a mix of personal narratives and occasionally unconventional topics that reflect the stage of life they are at.
This combination and their relatable ethos has garnered them a supportive following.
“I think the most memorable moment [in our career as a band] was sometime in April of last year when we were playing our song ‘By the Fire’… everybody in the audience started to sing along and none of us [on stage] expected that at all,” said Alavata.“It felt so good.”
“That was the first time I felt like everyone in the room — us on the stage and [the audience] in the crowd — was connected through song,” said Zhang.
Before Detour, their band name was Mexican Fajitas Squad.
All of their social media handles still contain the abbreviation, “MFS,” as an ode to their humble beginnings.
The band members are all fans of artists like Bon Iver and Gorillaz.
They practice and record in Zhang’s basement. Some of their members are still attending high school, but their love for making music together resonates.
This air of relatable humility that gives Detour such a refreshing quality: they take their craft seriously, but they don’t take themselves too seriously.
One day, they hope to sign with Dine Alone Records. But for now, they’re just kicking back and preparing to represent McMaster at the Battle of the Bands Provincials in a few short weeks.
“For me, [the hope is] just for more people to hear our songs… I’m really happy when we get even the smallest positive comment about our music because [music is such a big part of all of our lives]… our goal is to just have more people hear our stuff, for more people to truly enjoy it,” said Zhang. - The Silhouette
“I Heart Hamilton” airs Fridays 2-3PM on 93.3 CFMU
Hosted by Kristin Archer
In this episode:
Talking with Natalie Michlewicz of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hamilton & Burlington about their fundraising event Over The Edge on June 1
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Hanging with 2017 McMaster Battle of the Bands winners Detour - I Heart Hamilton
Epic chord progressions always make for an impressive sound but it can be hard to make it out of all the chaff. Detour have managed to do it here with their track ‘By The Fire’. - Never Enough Notes
Opening the night was Detour. I did not know what to expect having never heard this band play before, but knowing that they had just won the McMaster University Student Union Battle of the Bands I was looking forward to seeing them. Detour did not disappoint. The band has a very energetic performance and a fresh sound. Before they played a single note, they asked the crowd to "come closer, no closer". From that moment on, the audience was tapping their feet and swaying to the music. - Rock at Night
Discography
Nowhere Land (2016)
Detour (2015)
Photos
Bio
Post Romance is an alternative rock band from Hamilton, Ontario. Formed in 2014 under the former name Detour, the band writes "happy sad power pop," a sound defined by catchy, memorable pop songs with a larger than life rock aesthetic. With their live shows, Post Romance aims to bring the emotions out of every single audience member; it's about having a mutual connection through the music, whether you're singing along or dancing the night away.
Post Romance's latest release "Nowhere Land" (under the name Detour) showcases the band's versatility, exemplified by the indie-pop bliss of fan favourite "Drive in the Night" and the new wave-tinged anthem "The End is Nigh," among others. It gained the band attention from local radio stations and press. The band won over audiences during McMaster University's Battle of the Bands in March 2017, winning the competition. With a newfound confidence in the connection their music has with audiences, the band changed its name to Post Romance in August 2017, leaving their past behind, now ready to begin again.
They are currently in the process of writing and recording a new collection of songs, aiming to release by mid 2018.
In anticipation, the band is re-releasing some of their old favourites as singles under the new name, Post Romance. You can check out the new single "Drive in the Night" here!
Below are some links to the band's activity prior to changing their name:
Watch us perform LIVE at McMaster University
Detour's road to Battle of the Bands
Check out the music video for "By the Fire," directed by Magnitude Pictures!
Check out the Post Romance Bandcamp page: http://postromance.bandcamp.com/
Find us on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and all other major platforms.
Let us know what's up!
Contact Victor Zhang via email (postromanceband@gmail.com) or by phone (905 308 5879)
Band Members
Links