Jay Arner

Born in 1979 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jay Arner has established himself as a distinctive songwriter and musician widely regarded as one of the more compelling voices in the Canadian independent scene. His compositions favor bright, tuneful pop forms frequently colored by vintage electronic textures. He entered the field in 2002 as a member of International Falls and remained with the group until 2008, an experience he later described as the first in dozens of bands that also included Poison Dart, Fine Mist, Bleating Hearts, and Gal Gracen. During the same period he held a position at a recording studio, producing and engineering sessions for Mount Eerie, Rose Melberg, Tough Age, Apollo Ghosts, and No Gold. By 2013 he had accumulated enough unused material to warrant a solo project, so he installed a portable rig in his modest rehearsal room and tracked ten songs on which he performed every instrument and vocal. Mint Records, the noted Vancouver imprint, issued the resulting self-titled album, which received strong notices from critics. Arner then recruited a backing band and toured the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Canada. In 2014 he formed the minimal-synth-rock duo Energy Slime with Jessica Delisle, the keyboardist in his live group; the pair released an EP that November. The following year he produced the debut album by Vancouver pop outfit Supermoon, and in June 2016 Mint issued his second solo set, Jay II. Spin Magazine premiered the lead single, “Crystal Ball,” to North American listeners.