Kristian North

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About Kristian North

The canon of Kristian North (Montreal, CA) has been elevated to dizzying new heights by his third album, Pseudoscience Fiction (May 19th, 2023 via Mothland). Following the heartfelt domesticity of his warm, analogue second album Passion Play, North now eviscerates the very notion of restraint with a maximalist sci-fi epic, a journey through time forwards and backwards at once. He arrives at a vision of the future that is both invigoratingly new and satisfyingly familiar, rooted in the aesthetics of '70s soul, funk, and rock music.<br/> <br/> Pseudoscience Fiction marks Kristian North's third full-length release as a solo musician. Essential to an understanding of North's position as a weary rock and roll sage are the years he spent fronting the influential Canadian garage-punk band Babysitter. With Babysitter, North toured relentlessly across North America, releasing an extensive catalogue of albums, tapes, EPs, and splits: mastering a certain free-form lo-fi aesthetic before reinventing himself in a seamless, ornate fashion. The current live iteration of North's music—a "real live rock and roll affair with a smoking hot band," in his words—has seen him tour across North America and Europe, dazzling audiences at festivals including FME, Taverne Tour, River & Sky, and La Noce; sharing the stage with artists including Adam Green, The Sadies, Speedy Ortiz, and Daniel Romano. <br/> <br/> Given the outlandish scope and subject matter of Pseudoscience Fiction, it seems ridiculous to refer to North as being in his mature period, but his ability to impressionistically explore challenging sounds and viewpoints with impartiality reveals clear wisdom. Conceptual concerns never overshadow the immediacy of his sensibility, as he keeps pop music in his back pocket at all times. An intuition for melody and commitment to groove provide the unshakable foundation that North's house of mirrors rests upon. North's musical evolution has been fed by his long-standing partnership with producer and multi-instrumentalist Renny Wilson (Anemone, Michael Rault, Faith Healer), whose restless pursuit of novelty, fidelity, and experimentation is locked in step with North's lyrical worldbuilding. <br/> <br/> Kristian North's musical vision is a mirage that won't keep still; his commitment to lyrical trickery and fantastical explorations predestines his becoming misunderstood, which he welcomes. The lines between pastiche and earnest embrace, between disguise and self-reflection, between nods to the past and gestures towards the future, become so blurred that North arrives at the same wide-eyed bewilderment as his listeners. In this purgatory of interpretation, North thrives in his role as a tour guide of unlimited uncertainty.