MAYLEE TODD - Escapology / THE BICYCLES - Stop Thinking So Much

Two terrific local acts are back with anticipated new releases this week, as Maylee Todd follows up her 2010 debut Choose Your Own Adventure, while The Bicycles reunite for their first album in five years!

"An eclectic performer and songwriter, Todd is drawn to a variety of styles and influences, including jazz instrumentation, soul vocals, and even brassy, energetic bossa nova. And yet it’s her disco influence that stands out on Escapology, though the record never succumbs to mimicry. The song structures are employed cleverly enough that the sound never feels retro. Todd’s voice is a highlight. She’s capable of producing a smooth, sleek, almost buttery tone for the more lighthearted numbers, or committing to a more gravelling, insistent croon at moments of longing or rebuke." - Torontoist

"After releasing the best bubblegum-inspired indie pop album ever, 2006's The Good the Bad and the Cuddly, and an almost as impressive but sadder follow-up, 2008's Oh No, It's Love, the Bicycles went on a hiatus that seemed permanent. the Bicycles made lovers of pure pop music happy with the news in 2012 that they were back together with their original lineup and making a new record. Stop Thinking So Much is a triumphant return that delves lightly into the pop the Toronto group mastered on The Good, but also shows an increase in the maturity and musical expansion that began on Oh No. Once again the bandmembers split songwriting and vocal duties, all proving that they could be fronting their own bands." - Allmusic