"Nighthawks" directed by Sean Wainsteim

Two Hours Traffic doesn’t pull any punches with their second full-length, Little Jabs (Bumstead Records). Joel Plaskett returns to the producer’s chair on Little Jabs, which packs a wallop with eleven captivating tracks that blur the line between folk rock and powerful pop. The video for their seasonal anthem, “Nighthawks,” is currently in rotation on MuchMusic and the band is hitting the Trans-Canada to bring their unparalleled pop sensibilities to the masses. Unabashedly catchy and sincere, Two Hours Traffic is deservedly at the fore of the Canadian Maritime pop revival and Little Jabs will only solidify that position.

Two Hours Traffic began in 2003 when former kindergarten colleagues Liam Corcoran and Alec O’Hanley recruited fellow University of PEI chemistry students Andrew MacDonald and Derek Ellis. After the better part of a year, the group released an EP entitled The April Storm (Independent). This record caught the ear of acclaimed Halifax guitar hero Joel Plaskett, who immediately offered to produce the group’s first full-length album. When not breaking Erlenmeyer flasks, the group managed to pen and record an anthemic eponymous full length album.

Recorded while the band was still in their teens, their second album Two Hours Traffic (Independent) recalls the eccentricity of The Cars and the immediacy of Big Star. People took to the songs without hesitation: Limelight fueled some hottub drama on The OC, Better Sorry Than Safe edged out indie-rock mainstays Broken Social Scene and The Constantines on CBC Radio 3's 2005 year-end list, and the album was nominated for Best Rock Recording at the 2006 East Coast Music Awards. While their debut full length album was a magnet for critical accolades, their peers began to take notice as well; Two Hours Traffic toured Canada extensively with the likes of Wintersleep, The Joel Plaskett Emergency and The Golden Dogs.

The 2006 release of their second EP, Isolator (Independent), signified the band’s arrival as accomplished songwriters. More critical acclaim followed and the disc received a 2007 ECMA nomination for Best Alternative Album. Two Hours Traffic has gladly left behind the ivory towers of higher education for less dignified pursuits.