Paint

Toronto indie rock ensemble Paint fuses vigorous rock drive with memorable pop melodies and thoughtful, frequently profound words. Positioning themselves among Canada’s diligent acts, the musicians placed primary emphasis on live performances from the outset of their 2009 debut Can You Hear Me?, an approach that grew richer over time through their expanding artistic range. In addition to standard studio releases, they scored instrumental film music, issued a concert DVD, collaborated with photographer Joe Mac, and mined their archives for demos plus unreleased material. Marking fifteen years in 2023, the band issued deluxe reissues of their first two albums, each loaded with bonus content.

Formed by friends who had played together in various projects throughout the early 2000s, they launched officially near the decade’s end. Their debut album Can You Hear Me? arrived in 2009 and received Canadian tour support. The 2011 follow-up Where We Are Today marked a shift away from dense, noisy alt-rock textures toward Brit-pop and new wave influences. Music videos were produced for all ten tracks and collected on the 2013 DVD Capsulated: Music Videos. Crowdfunding and support from Canada’s FACTOR program helped realize the 2015 black-and-white short film 11:11 together with its accompanying EP soundtrack Based on Truth and Lies. The following year brought disPLAY, a concert film and live album captured at a sold-out Toronto show in 2014.

Reaching a decade in 2018 prompted the release of previously unheard archival material. This included the instrumental score Chapter 11 for 11:11, the demo collection Set the Children Free: The Lost Demos 2011-2018, and The Book of Joe, a 316-page photo e-book documenting their stage history with photographer Joe Mac. Although Paint ceased creating new music and performing live in 2023, they marked the fifteen-year milestone with expanded editions of both studio albums, each containing 45 tracks of demos, live recordings, radio performances, and retrospective interviews along with detailed liner notes and reimagined artwork.