Pilot Speed

Originally assembling under the name Pilate during the opening years of the 2000s, the Toronto quartet later adopted Pilot Speed in mid-2006, a switch prompted by fears of litigation once their recordings began circulating beyond Canada—particularly in light of the “litigious nature of the United States,” as the group noted on its website. The project had taken shape in 2000 once New Zealand-born vocalist Todd Clark departed the music program at the University of Western Ontario and posted an online notice seeking collaborators. OCAD alumnus Ruby Bumrah responded on bass and recruited fellow graduates Chris Greenough on guitar and Bill Keeley on drums. Drawing from Crowded House, Radiohead, and U2, the ensemble cultivated an expansive melodic-rock sound comparable to that of Keane, Coldplay, and Snow Patrol; their first recording, the six-track EP For All That’s Given, Wasted, appeared in summer 2001. Its initial run sold out immediately, securing the band’s foothold within the Canadian scene.

Touring opportunities followed with Broken Social Scene, DFA 1979, and Hot Hot Heat, and the group was named Best Unsigned Band at the 2002 North by Northeast conference—Canada’s counterpart to SXSW. An agreement with MapleMusic Recordings soon yielded the full-length Caught by the Window in 2003, issued stateside three years later in March 2006. Two tracks from the album gained traction on national radio and MuchMusic while the band visited North America, Australia, and Japan. The next release, Sell Control for Life’s Speed, surfaced domestically in mid-2006, after which the name became Pilot Speed. Earlier that year the quartet had already completed its third album overall—the first under the new moniker, Into the West—and signed with Wind-Up, which issued the record that September.