The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers have been spinning witty tales into buoyant power-pop hooks since forming in 1997. Over the following decades, the Vancouver collective of indie luminaries—including intrepid frontman Carl Newman, versatile bassist/producer John Collins, alt-country powerhouse Neko Case, and Destroyer’s wily leader Dan Bejar—has consistently released high-energy albums packed with complex melody and metaphor. Driven largely by Newman’s rousing songwriting (and occasionally Bejar’s abstract arrangements), the supergroup established a crisp guitar-pop sound from the start, sweetening their 2000 debut album, Mass Romantic, and 2003’s Electric Version with bright riffs, sunny harmonies, and Case’s brassy pipes. While each member—including vocalist/keyboardist Kathryn Calder and lead guitarist Todd Fancey—has juggled other musical projects, they’ve continued to build on this dynamism, through the expansive tales of 2005’s Twin Cinema, lush instrumentation of 2010’s Together, and exuberant celebrations of 2014’s Brill Bruisers. With Bejar (mostly) stepping away from the band for 2017’s Whiteout Conditions and 2019’s In the Morse Code of Brake Lights, Newman asserted his role as primary songwriter, maintaining the thrilling immediacy that defines The New Pornographers’ full-hearted appeal.