Handsome Furs

Handsome Furs came together in 2005 as a Montreal-based duo featuring Dan Boeckner, the frontman of Wolf Parade, and Alexei Perry, both transplants from Vancouver. As a married couple, they put out their atmospheric debut album Plague Park during 2007, relying on drum machines alongside world-weary melodies to set their first release apart from the sound of Wolf Parade. The electronic approach to indie rock on Plague Park drew praise, including a comparison from Rolling Stone that described the group as "a dingy version of the Cure rocking some hipster dive bar." Buoyed by increasing attention, Handsome Furs headed back into the studio toward the end of 2007. Although their original intention had been to produce an EP, the motivated pair ended up completing a full album, informed by lyrics inspired from a recent tour through Eastern Europe. This effort led to the March 2009 release of Face Control. Asian influences shaped the band's next album in 2011, when they created Sound Kapital using solely keyboards and drum machines.