Montreal's TOPS turn shimmering 80s-tinged pop into something warm, wistful, and quietly essential.
MOODS · nostalgic · dreamy · sunlit · wistful · synth-warmed · breezy · melancholic-pop · retro-glow · tender · sparkling · emotive · groove-driven
BIOGRAPHY
TOPS are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, formed in 2011 out of the dissolved synthpop group Silly Kissers. The band's lineup features Jane Penny, David Carriere, Riley Fleck, and Marta Cikojevic, and they have long been associated with the Arbutus Records scene that also produced Doldrums, Grimes, and Mac DeMarco.
Since their 2012 debut Tender Opposites, TOPS have released Picture You Staring (2014), Sugar at the Gate (2017), and the self-released I Feel Alive (2020) on their own label, Musique TOPS. Their fifth album, Bury the Key, arrived in 2025 on Ghostly International, expanding their palette into disco-inflected territory.
WHY THEY'RE COOL
TOPS have earned a reputation for taking the glossiest, cheesiest textures of 80s pop and elevating them into something genuinely affecting, a quality critics noted as early as Tender Opposites. Reviewers at DIY and The Line of Best Fit praised Picture You Staring for revitalizing familiar decade-specific sounds without merely recycling them, pointing to the band's tight musical chemistry as a defining strength. Now signed to Ghostly International, TOPS continue evolving on Bury the Key, folding disco influences into emotionally ambivalent songwriting.
GEORGE'S PLAYS
George has played this artist 14 times.
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