Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk 

This album had a hand in shifting my perspective on the way I view pop production. After absolutely loving their previous album, Mercurial World, getting into Imaginal Disk took a bit longer for me to grasp. But once I was in, I was really in it - and I think that is the beauty of an album like this. To really connect with it is to enter the world that was so meticulously created, and it feels like a gift for the listener to be a part of. Most albums are best listened to front to back, but this one especially. Each song feels like you’re floating into different spaces that naturally meld into one another. This is a very visual album for me, and it encouraged me to lean into the idea of songs having their own unique character and identity.

MGMT - Little Dark Age

This band was one of the first to inspire my love for indie-pop/psych-pop. I think growing up I had a skewed perception of what pop music really was. This album in particular showed me just how fun it can be, and it doesn’t have to follow a rigid formula. I am obsessed with the jangle of this album. The song, “When You Die” is probably one of my most listened to songs of all time. It’s full of life, energy, and loads of nostalgia. One of my favourite things about MGMT is the way they infuse their music with nostalgia. There’s just something about the melodies and tonality of it all that feels very warm, even though the album as a whole I would describe as quite cold in tone. I look to this album in experimenting with brighter synths and vocal distortion. Sometimes I find what I like, and have a hard time escaping the box that it subconsciously keeps me in, and I think this album reminds me to challenge that. Everything is worth trying, and you never know what’s gonna click.

King Krule - Space Heavy 

The title says it all — this album is heavy. Again, I feel lucky that these kinds of albums tend to find me just when I need them. This record is dark, with a contrasting peaceful ambience to it that I really appreciate. I also admire the use of space in this. The structure of each song is unique to its own, and there’s a lot of room for interpretation and filling in the gaps. When listening, there were a lot of quiet moments within the bigger moments, and that is one of my favourite things in music. You can take it for what it is, but you can also pay attention to the delicate intricacies and dive deeper. Texturally, this album is very intriguing as a listener. It successfully establishes a particular overtone through a body of textural moments that is difficult to articulate, and that’s what makes it beautiful and inspiring to me.

Phoenix - Alphabetical

This is one of the first bands that I remember my older sister playing on one of her burnt CD mixes. I heard the song “Run, Run, Run” and I instantly was hooked. This album in itself isn’t one that impacted me as much as just this whole band did. Their music is a constant for me, and I’m always discovering new things I love about it. Production wise, I was heavily influenced by the drums, percussive moments, and melody lines. Also, to me there was always this underlying sensuality in their music that is hard to describe, and maybe unintentional ─ but very cool nonetheless. The late Philippe Zdar is one of my favourite producers. I love the cleanliness of sound and the way it sounds compact with just enough room to breathe ─ it’s just truly awesome.

Alvvays - Blue Rev 

This has been in my rotation since it came out. When it was first released, it was all I could listen to for a good chunk of time. To me, this record is perfect in a lot of ways — but I was particularly drawn to the arrangement, dynamics, and lyrics. One thing I always appreciate about Molly Rankin’s vocals is the attention to delivery. One small melodic change, or certain pronunciation of words can change the tone completely. Lyrically and instrumentally I think this album left a lasting imprint on me in the way I go about my own songwriting and vocal execution.

Beach House - Depression Cherry

This is an album that I had heard many times throughout the years, though mainly in passing. I had a few songs I’d listened to here and there, but it wasn’t until recently that I took the time to listen with intention and I’m so grateful I did. I think this album, and band as a whole, really speaks to the catharsis of music for me. Before noticing the song's sonic surface, I found myself noticing the immediate feeling they gave me. From there, I would dive into each song and try to find the small things that somehow made me feel that way. Bands like Beach House are ones that I will always go back to. Because to me, that deep cutting emotion, that normally seems so inaccessible — is the primary reason I make my own music. It is of course a form of self expression and creative outlet, but more than anything it is a way to become closer to a part of myself I can’t easily get to. I think music is a very strong tool for that, and this album in particular did that for me. It reminds me of what I hope others might feel when they hear my music.

Bread - The Best Of Bread

I could not pick one album, because this band truly is everything to me. Growing up, I remember being on road trips, sitting in my parent’s thirteen seater van (big family vibes) and hearing these songs over and over again. They comforted me in a way I couldn’t explain back then, and they still do but even more so. Now I can resonate with the lyrics, appreciate the composition, and also be reminded of some fond memories of my childhood. I think David Gates is an amazing songwriter, and I look to him when I’m writing when it comes to all things romantic. He had a very special way of writing a song that felt like absolute poetry, not just in the lyrical content. The way the instruments move so naturally with the melody, the softness of heart, and the honesty; it is all very immersive to me. When it comes to allowing myself to soften, and feel the romance of life and how it translates to music — that is when I look to Bread.

Soccer Mommy - Color Theory

This found me when I needed it most. The atmosphere of this record is extremely heavy, and at the time I could closely relate to it. It kind of felt like a friend giving me a hug and letting me know they see me. I think the dark truth and authenticity of this record is what inspired me going forward in my own writing. It displays a world of grief and heaviness like I’d never heard before, and I was touched by the freedom and raw expression. This album struck me, and overall I think it gave me my own green light to speak from a place of brutal honesty in my music.

Foster The People - Torches 

This is one of the most underrated indie albums of its time. While "Pumped Up Kicks" had its well deserved moment — the record in its entirety is incredible, and in my opinion a 10/10. Mark Foster is one of my favourite producers, songwriters and vocalists. He inspired me from the first moment I heard his music when I was around 12 years old. The unique play with vocal technique, extremely punchy drums, driving bass lines, and overall liveliness of the tracks still stick with me over a decade later — translating into my own current approach.

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie And Lowell

This is one of my all time favourites. I am grateful that I heard this album so early on because it helped shape the way I experience music. I think, though unassuming, it carries a lot of fundamental qualities that all of my favourite albums have. It is vulnerable and dark, but still extracts moments of pure essence and soft solitude. Everything about this album is beautiful to me. It also helps to know some of Sufjan’s other albums to understand the different avenues he has taken, and how this album came to be. Though quite different from my current sound, there are a lot of production and writing takeaways that I have carried with me throughout the years, and still impact me in all my work today.