The Most Serene Republic

Emerging from Toronto's suburban fringes, the Most Serene Republic comprises vocalists Adrian Jewett and Emma Ditchburn alongside Adam Nimmo on drums, Ryan Lenssen on keyboards, Nick Greaves on guitar, and Andrew McArthur on bass. The eccentric indie-rock six-piece came together in 2003 and promptly secured a contract with Arts & Crafts, becoming the Toronto imprint's inaugural signing without any Broken Social Scene alumni in its ranks. Sean Woolven entered the lineup the following year, beginning on drums before shifting to guitar and backing vocals. Spring 2005 brought a run of North American shows supporting fellow Canadians Stars. Later that summer the group unveiled its polished first full-length, Underwater Cinematographer. By October 2007, with Tony Nesbitt-Larking now handling drums and Simon Lukasewich taking over bass duties from Nimmo and McArthur, the ensemble delivered its ethereal follow-up, Population. Adam Balsam assumed the drum chair in 2009, the same year the ever-morphing ...And the Ever Expanding Universe appeared. The EP Impossibliss followed in 2010 and Pre Serene: Thee Oneironauts arrived in 2011. Throughout those years the band maintained a rigorous touring schedule alongside the Strokes, Broken Social Scene, and Metric, yet opted for a hiatus at the close of 2011 in pursuit of more stable routines. The collective resurfaced in 2015 with Mediac, an album produced by Ryan Lenssen and released via MapleMusic Recordings.