In a society constantly in a race to get the most likes and be the most seen, it’s refreshing to come across music that really touches a nerve.
It’s the blood, sweat, and tears that truly make an album shine, not the exorbitant production expenses or high-tech equipment, a truth universally acknowledged by Ontario-based indie band No Beauty, whose raw talent and DIY sound is at the heart of everything they do.
With a range that includes lo-fi folk ballads and helpings of grunge and alt-rock, heartfelt lyrics provide the backbone for this tight-knit group. Barely a year old, this passion project of Helena Alexandria, Jonathan Malstrom, and William Fachin got its start sometime last summer. The band’s debut record, No Beauty Will Remain, just released yesterday, July 12th, 2024. Each of the eight tracks has been lovingly produced and recorded by the band members themselves, alongside a little help from Chris Snow and Tyler Bruce.
Last month saw the release of the lead video single, “JUNE” – a preamble of the recent album and a pivotal track for the band’s career. This number was one of three songs written by Alexandria. In a precious twist, the songwriter says that she wrote the track about her love for fellow bandmate Malstrom, and it is the first song the three played together as a group. This playful take on a summer love song reminds us that love is in the little details.
Another single from the album, “so do i,” is a mellow-sounding track featuring vocals by Malstrom and Alexandria, who created the puppets for this track’s video. At a mere one minute and 20 seconds, this song is the shortest on the album, yet delivers resonating instrumentation. Forster shines on the trumpet in this brief but enchanting and subtly dark track. The video was dreamed up and executed by Alice Hirsch and Helena Zogogiannis.
The video for “hourglass” features the trio playing the tune live at Humber College last year. This alt-rock track is full of evocative imagery and symbolism, yet another pivotal moment for the young band’s music career. My favorite line is “Embalmed within an awkward stare / I pose with flowers in my hair,” just one exquisite example of Alexandria’s burgeoning prowess as a songwriter.
Alexandria’s powerful storytelling reaches its climax with “Black Dog Shadow,” the album’s closing track. In true No Beauty fashion, the lyrics read like an elegant poem, weaving an elaborate tapestry of words flush with imagery.
In the throes of his own solo career and playing guitar for Basement Revolver, Malstrom first met Alexandria, a newly-admitted Humber music student, at a mutual friend’s party. It didn’t take long for the two to discover a mutual dream of making music together, enlisting Fachin along the way to round out their sound. In no time, No Beauty was born.
