Parallels is a Canadian

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

band from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada led by

Holly Dodson Holly Dodson is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer who is a co-founding member and front-woman of synthpop group Parallels. Early life Dodson is the daughter of Juno Award-winning guitarist (of The Stampeders), composer, ...

(vocalist, composer, producer). Dodson's vocals have been compared to

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

and ''True Blue''-era

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

. In ''

Flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala, bengalo in several European countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illuminatio ...

'' Magazine's 30th anniversary issue, Dodson was featured as one of the "Hottest names to know in Canadian Music".

History

Beginnings (2008–2011)

Parallels was created by Holly Dodson and former member, Cameron Findlay. Through an exchange of emails with Dodson, they wrote their first single "Ultralight". Findlay and Dodson continued to write more material, releasing "Ultralight" as a digital single later that year, and on vinyl on Thisisnotanexit Records in London, England. They made their live debut in 2008 opening for

Italians Do It Better Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in Portland and West Hollywood. It was started by Johnny Jewel and Mike Simonetti on July 20, 2006, to focus on Jewel's projects Glass Candy and Chromatics and later Desire, Symmetry an ...

artist

Glass Candy Glass Candy was an American electronic music duo from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1996 by vocalist Ida No and producer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Jewel. The band is part of the Italians Do It Better label. While the band's early work blends ...

at Wrongbar in Toronto. Parallels performed at Power Ball 11 at

The Power Plant The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is a Canadian public art gallery located at Harbourfront Centre in the heart of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Gallery is a registered Canadian charitable organization. Initially established in 1976 as ...

in Toronto on May 28, 2009. Parallels music has been likened to the work of New Order and

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Na ...

rated Parallels as critic's pick for "Best Electronic act of 2009", in their "Best of Toronto" issue. Dodson represented Parallels in ''

'' 's 30th anniversary issue as one of the "Hottest names to know in Canadian Music"Iannacci, Elio. (2009, September). The Hottest Names to Know in Canadian Music. ''Flare Magazine''.

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...

(publishing). September 2009 The band made their US debut at

CMJ Music Marathon CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

in New York City in October 2009. Parallels has opened for

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...

, The Juan Maclean, Miami Horror and

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the ...

''Visionaries'' (2010)

The band's debut album, ''Visionaries'', was released in February 2010. Parallels song "Find the Fire" was featured on ''Kitsuné Maison Compilation 8'' released by Kitsuné Music. The album was nominated for an Independent Music Award for Best Album – Dance/Electronica. Parallels' song "Ultralight" was featured in episode 4, of the second season of '' The A-List: New York''. Parallels appeared on the cover of "

Eye Weekly ''Eye Weekly'' was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the ''Toronto Star'', and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The followin ...

" in 2010. Parallels' song "Dry Blood", from their debut album ''Visionaries'' was featured on the soundtrack for ''

Curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...

'' directed by

Shawn Christensen Shawn Christensen is an American musician, filmmaker, podcaster and artist. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration and graphic design. Christensen was the frontman of the indie rock band Ste ...

, that won the 2013

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, ''Best Short Subject, On ...

Parallels released a 10-year Anniversary edition remaster and remix album through NewRetroWave Records in 2020 which features remixes by Valerie Collective artists

Anoraak Anoraak is the musical project of French musician Frédéric Rivière, multi instrumentalist, singer, producer and DJ, former drummer of Pony Pony Run Run and member of the Valerie Collective along with artists such as College, Maethelvin, The ...

, Maethelvin.

''XII'' (2012)

The band released their second album, entitled ''XII'', on Marigold Records in the spring of 2012. After the departure of Findlay and Kehoe, Dodson began writing material for Parallels' second album, ''XII'', at Marigold Studios in Toronto. In 2012, her brother Nick Dodson joined on drums and Artem Galperine on synths. ''XII'' eventually hit No. 5 on Earshot! Canada's college radio charts in 2012. The album includes a rendition of "Moonlight Desires" by Canadian artist

Lawrence Gowan Lawrence Henry Gowan (born 22 November 1956) is a Scottish people, Scottish born Canadians, Canadian singer and keyboardist. Gowan is a solo artist and has also been vocalist and keyboardist of the band Styx (band), Styx since May 1999. His mus ...

. Parallels performed at ''

Fashion Magazine Fashion journalism is a component of fashion media, with a focus on journalism, writing and photojournalism. Fashion journalists write about and critique fashion events and trends as well as cultivate and maintain relationships with stylists and ...

'' 's 35th Anniversary party at Toronto's Distillery District's Fermenting Cellar.

"Civilization EP" (2015)

In 2015, Parallels' "Civilization EP" hit No. 1 in Canada, on Earshot's "National Electronic Chart". "Civilization EP" includes a cover of "Age Of Consent" by British alternative group New Order. In its review of the EP, Electronic Rumors deemed Parallels "Undoubtedly one of Canada's finest synthpop exports".

''Metropolis'' (2017)

Parallels' third album, ''Metropolis'', was released on February 17, 2017. The title track was featured on CBC Radio 1's show "Hear & Now" as "Song Of The Week". On November 18, 2016, Parallels headlined "Friday Night Live" at the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

for a crowd of 3500 people. Their second single "I.R.L" received a video by Emmy-Award winning director Jack Chapman. The video won for "Best Music Video" at multiple independent film festivals including the Los Angeles Film Awards,

Indie Memphis Film Festival Indie Memphis, located in Memphis, TN, is an arts organization that runs year-round programs that "inspire, encourage and promote independent films and filmmaking in Memphis."

and the Canadian Diversity Film Awards. Parallels supported French band

Yelle Yelle is a French electronic band founded by lead singer and namesake Yelle (Julie Budet) and GrandMarnier (Jean-François Perrier). A third member, Tepr (Tanguy Destable), joined the band before the recording of their debut album. Yelle and G ...

at their sold-out show at Adelaide Hall in Toronto on October 17, 2017. Parallels made their live European debut in March 2018 at synth wave party "VHS Vision V" in Stockholm, Sweden. In November 2018, Parallels teamed up with German synth wave artist Nina for a six-date tour in the United States.

Collaboration with Futurecop! (2018–2019)

Dodson collaborated with Manchester-based synthwave group Futurecop! on their single "Edge Of The Universe", released by American label New RetroWave on November 23, 2018. "Edge Of The Universe" was described by Vehlinggo as "huge, its potential infinite, and your connection with the song assured." The single was highlighted by Iron Skullet as one of the top 25 "Best Popwave of 2018". Its accompanying video, directed by Anise Mariko made No. 4 on NewRetroWave's "Top Ten Music Videos of 2018" list. Futurecop! and Parallels released their second collaborative single "We Belong" on January 23, 2019. The song was featured on Spotify Canada's New Music Friday playlist. UK music blog Analogue Trash described Dodson's performance as "polished to perfection, highlighting her similarities to peak Madonna at her feisty feminist best or Robyn’s sweet but assertive pop perfection. But there’s no voice quite like Dodson’s." "We Belong" was followed by a third single featuring Parallels, titled "This Moment Forever" released by German imprint, Kiez Beats. Futurecop!'s full album ''Voltrana'', featuring four songs co-written by Dodson, was released by New RetroWave on March 22, 2019.

''Proximity'' Soundtrack (2020)

Dodson and her collaborator Oliver Blair (p.k.a Radio Wolf) co-wrote and produced 7-original songs comprising the soundtrack to indie sci-fi film '' Proximity''. The film was directed by

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning VFX artist Eric Demeusy whose credits include

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...

, Game Of Thrones and Tron: Legacy. The soundtrack was released through four-time Grammy nominated label Lakeshore Records (the independent music division of

Lakeshore Entertainment Lakeshore Village Entertainment, LLC was an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum. Lakeshore Entertainment is headquartered in Bev ...

). Lead single "Let Me In" was premiered on Under the Radar on August 18, 2020.

''SUPERSYMMETRY'' (2021)

''SUPERSYMMETRY'' is the fifth Parallels studio album, written, produced and mixed by front-woman

. It was released on August 27, 2021 on Toronto-based imprint Marigold Records. The Electricity Club described the album as, "conjuring classic pop sentiments of neon nights, fading into color on Polaroid film”. The photo of Dodson featured on the album cover was shot by Brad A. Kinnan.

''He Had a Good Time (Futurecop! & Parallels Remix)'' (2021)

Parallels and Futurecop! remixed the track, "He Had a Good Time," composed by

Cliff Martinez Cliff Robert Martinez (born February 5, 1954) is an American musician and composer. Early in his career, Martinez was known as a drummer notably with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Since th ...

for

Drive (2011 film) ''Drive'' is a 2011 American action drama film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The screenplay, written by Hossein Amini, is based on James Sallis's 2005 novel. The film stars Ryan Gosling as an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver who moonlig ...

. The remix features original lyrics and vocals by

. It was released as part of the remix compilation ''Overdrive'' on

Lakeshore Records Lakeshore Village Entertainment, LLC was an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum. Lakeshore Entertainment is headquartered in Bev ...

November 19, 2021.

''Factory Sessions EP'' (2023)

''Factory Sessions'' is a live, visual EP recorded in Los Angeles, California, and released on May 5, 2023. The EP includes tracks from Parallels' back catalogue, as well as a cover of "Dreaming" by

Blondie (band) Blondie is an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1974 by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American New wave music, new wave genre and scene of the mid-1970s. The band's first tw ...

. The music videos were directed by Brad A. Kinnan and feature

performing alongside a live band on a soundstage. Vehlinggo reviewed it as, "''Factory Sessions'' finds Parallels leaning into the essence of a synth-infused rock/new wave act rather than an electronic-forward

Synthwave Synthwave (also called retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with the Film score, film soundtracks of action films, science fiction films, and horror films of the 1980s. ...

project. The result is stunning."

''Handle With Care (SLACKMACHINE Remix)'' (2023)

In 2023, Parallels released a remix of the track "Handle With Care" by Los Angeles-based electronic artist SLACKMACHINE. The electronic music blog Vehlinggo said, "This remix of Parallels’ 'Handle With Care' will still propel your body to move with its deft reinterpretation of one of the best songs off Parallels’ most recent album, ''SUPERSYMMETRY''."

Discography

* ''Ultralight EP'' (2009) * ''Visionaries'' (2010) * ''XII'' (2012) * ''Civilization EP'' (2015) * ''Metropolis'' (2017) *''Proximity: Original Music From The Motion Picture (2020)'' *''Visionaries (10th Anniversary Edition) (2020)'' *''SUPERSYMMETRY'' (2021) *''He Had a Good Time (Futurecop! & Parallels Remix)'' (2021) *''Factory Sessions EP'' (2023) *''Handle With Care (SLACKMACHINE Remix)'' (2023)

References

External links

Parallels
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parallels (Band) 2008 establishments in Ontario Canadian synth-pop groups Musical groups established in 2008 Canadian musical trios Musical groups from Toronto