Casey MQ

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Casey Manierka-Quaile developed his skills as a classical pianist while harboring a deep affection for pop, particularly boy bands. He entered the Toronto scene in the early 2010s as a member of Unbuttoned and later handled keyboards for the reunited new wave outfit Spoons. Solo output under the names Casey MQ and Canadian Hoverboard surfaced throughout the mid-2010s. The 2017 collaborative EP For the Beasts paired him with Oklou, followed by the solo release Nudes in 2018. His score for Jasmin Mozaffari’s 2018 film Firecrackers drew particular notice and helped establish him as a film composer. In 2020 he co-founded the queer virtual clubnight Club Quarantine, which hosted appearances by Charli xcx, Lady Gaga, Pabllo Vittar, and additional guests. That same year he issued the hyperpop-leaning album babycasey on Halocline Trance. He also co-wrote and co-produced the majority of Oklou’s Galore, supplied extra production to Austra’s HiRUDiN, co-wrote and co-produced a track on Cadence Weapon’s Polaris Prize-winning Parallel World, and appeared on a l l i e’s “Clean Sight.” The remix collection babycasey: ultra arrived via Cascine in 2021 and included reworkings by Hannah Diamond, Avalon Emerson, and other electronic artists.

Casey MQ has lent his hand to a range of left-field pop projects, among them work with Cecile Believe. In 2022 he joined Petal Supply for “Telephone Light” and contributed to Aasthma’s “3AM.” He shared a Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Song with Tika Simone for “And Then We Don’t,” written for the film Learn to Swim. Further songwriting and production credits appeared on 2023 releases by Shygirl, Vagabon, Eartheater, Dorian Electra, and others. His second full-length, the ballad-centered Later that day, the day before, or the day before that, surfaced on Ghostly International in 2024 and shifted toward a more baroque-pop sensibility. Throughout these efforts he has continued composing for additional films while maintaining a reputation for delicate, introspective material that examines relationships, longing, and recollection.