Biography
Montreal outfit Pottery channels an unrestrained indie-rock sensibility that draws from cult acts including Devo, Orange Juice, and Josef K while freely incorporating garage rock, psych-rock, country, and any other style that suits their impulse. That kinetic, boundary-crossing sound powered the June 2020 full-length Welcome to Bobby's Motel.
The group formed shortly after vocalist Austin Boylan relocated to Montreal and connected with guitarist Jacob Shepansky via a shared acquaintance on his very first day there. Their common enthusiasm for Josef K sparked immediate songwriting sessions; once several tracks existed, they recruited keyboardist Peter Baylis and drummer Paul Jacobs, the latter fronting a garage-rock band Boylan and Shepansky had followed since their teenage years. Pottery made its live debut in February 2017 and cut an EP's worth of material with producer and singer/songwriter Renny Wilson over two days that June. When the original bassist exited that November, English-born Tom Gould, then a McGill University student, stepped in. The band maintained a low profile until December 2018, when it issued its first single, "Hank Williams," the initial composition Boylan and Shepansky completed together. Its jerky rhythms and angular lines generated excitement ahead of the May 2019 Partisan Records release of debut EP No. 1. For the ensuing album, Pottery teamed with producer Jonathan Schenke at Montreal's Break Glass studio. Even broader in scope than No. 1, Welcome to Bobby's Motel arrived in June 2020.
The group formed shortly after vocalist Austin Boylan relocated to Montreal and connected with guitarist Jacob Shepansky via a shared acquaintance on his very first day there. Their common enthusiasm for Josef K sparked immediate songwriting sessions; once several tracks existed, they recruited keyboardist Peter Baylis and drummer Paul Jacobs, the latter fronting a garage-rock band Boylan and Shepansky had followed since their teenage years. Pottery made its live debut in February 2017 and cut an EP's worth of material with producer and singer/songwriter Renny Wilson over two days that June. When the original bassist exited that November, English-born Tom Gould, then a McGill University student, stepped in. The band maintained a low profile until December 2018, when it issued its first single, "Hank Williams," the initial composition Boylan and Shepansky completed together. Its jerky rhythms and angular lines generated excitement ahead of the May 2019 Partisan Records release of debut EP No. 1. For the ensuing album, Pottery teamed with producer Jonathan Schenke at Montreal's Break Glass studio. Even broader in scope than No. 1, Welcome to Bobby's Motel arrived in June 2020.