TOPSCAN
Discovery ZoneUSA
Softrock grooves with touches of 80s sophisti pop
TOPS were formed in Montreal when song-writing duo David Carriere and Jane Penny decided to join forces with drummer Riley Fleck. Since then they have become one of the most influential underground bands of the past decade, creating a space for sophisticated pop music in the indie world.
Their tendency to opt towards making straight-forward, stripped down and honest recordings lets their pop songwriting shine out in the open. With a heart firmly attached to their sleeves, their songcraft delves into the emotional intricacy of personal relationships, asking questions about power and desire. Riley Fleck’s measured drumming and David Carriere’s trademark guitar licks mesh with Marta Cikojevic’s lush keyboards. All these elements work in tandem and in service of Jane Penny’s unmistakable, wistful voice.
The result of this mixture is a collection of four self-produced records and a handful of singles that cover a range of moods and a complex emotional realm while maintaining a groove and musicality. Soft rock infused pop hits flow easily, surrounded by their signature moody ballads.
Discovery Zone is the moniker of musician and multi-media artist JJ Weihl who is also a founding member of the experimental pop project Fenster. Raised in New York City and currently based in Berlin, Discovery Zone is the space in which Weihl creates pop music, video collages, powerpoint presentations, advertisements and algorithmic art experiments. Her performances utilise a laboratory of instruments and visuals to explore the universe as a source of information that one can also dance to.