Winter Gloves began as one guy's way of figuring out how to plug himself into life in the big city. It was a single microphone and minimal equipment gathered into Charles F's downtown Montreal apartment to piece together all the distances he'd covered since growing up in rural Quebec. The jarring shift of such a transition seemed to peek through every chance it could, a constant inspiration as much as frustration that was drafted in the band's self-released Let Me Drive EP of mainly demo tracks.
Today, Winter Gloves is Charles F (lead singer/songwriter/wurlitzer), Pat Sayers (drums), Vincent Chalifour (synths) and Jean-Michel Pigeon (guitar/glockenspiel). With only a handful of live shows behind them at the beginning of the 2008, Winter Gloves was already receiving invitations to join bands like Tokyo Police Club on a series of sold-out tour dates. Such well-attended shows helped spread what was becoming the wildfire of the earlier EP demo tracks that spiked on top 10 lists with record downloads after being made available on iTunes, and lead to top pick coverage at both major annual music festivals in Canada, Canadian Music Week and NXNE.
After the Canadian release of the band’s full length in the Fall of 2008, the band continued on the same foot as things had started with dates alongside Tokyo Police Club and a slot at Toronto’s Virgin Festival before hitting the road across Canada with Vancouver’s You Say Party! We Say Die! and Quebec’s Beast. Reactions to the album and these shows immediately secured showcase opportunities at International conferences, invitations for further touring and secured spots on “Best of 2008” yearend lists including “Best New Artist” from iTunes Canada.
The about a girl LP is ten songs driven by the sounds of keyboards and drums, all wrapped up in a constant buzz of bass and gritty synths. The foursome will introduce themselves to the US with the 3 song, digital-only Let Me Drive EP featuring early sketches of songs that were later developed for the about a girl LP.
Hot Montreal Band - Spin.com
Winter Gloves harness what we've been recognising as a 'Montreal sound', low slung new waves propelled on by some filthy beats in fine style. But they do it with more charisma and better songs than anyone else so far. - NME
Winter Gloves play keyboard-oriented indie rock a la TPC or Passion Pit and were definitely local favorites. - Brooklyn Vegan (at M for Montreal Festival)
You heard it here first, kids. Yet another indie band from our
hometown to further solidify Montreal's reputation as the city with
the hippest music scene. Winter Gloves have mastered the 3-minute pop
song and will never have to worry about frostbite so long as they keep
their hands covered. All the better to rock the guitar solo with, my
dear. - The Tragically Unhip
A 30 minute set from my current Canadian indie fascination, Winter
Gloves. I absolutely adore these guys. - Much Music V Fest Blog
About A Girl takes a handful of songs from the Let Me Drive EP,
polishes them to perfection, then hits you with another dose of what
synth pop rock is all about. - Exclaim!
While this Montreal act's debut EP consisted largely of demos
performed by frontman Charles F., their upcoming album captures the
sound of a band in the exhilarating process of inventing its own
identity. In broad strokes, it is melodic, rhythmically aggressive,
yet still "indie" in sensibility. - Toronto Star
Another new hip indie band from Montreal? Impossible! Zut alors, mon
pamplemousse! - Gentleman's Writing Club
about a girl is not only impressive as a debut but as an example of a
pop album embracing its heavier and lighter sides. - Queen's Journal
about a girl gets your attention from the very first "Ah Ohh" uttered
over a programmed drum beat. By the third track I felt I'd come across
a new favourite to sit nicely alongside Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, or
any other in the slew of good Montreal–based indie bands. - Pulse Niagara
I recently received 'about a girl', the debut album from Montreal's
'Winter Gloves' in the post and have been listening to it pretty much
everyday since. Yep, it's that addictive! The album is set to drop on
Paper Bag Records, September 9th and is sure to make some sort of mega
splash in the music bloggersphere over the next few months.
- Bloggertronix
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