The Organ

Formed in Vancouver during 2001, the Organ sought to carve out a distinctive contemporary sound instead of joining the wave of post-punk acts then emerging. The lineup featured Katie Sketch on vocals, Deb Cohen on guitar, Jenny Smyth on organ, Shelby Stocks on drums, and Ashley Webber on bass; each member drew inspiration from acts like the Cure and the Smiths. Their dark aesthetic first surfaced that summer through the independent Sinking Hearts EP, which earned acclaim from Canadian outlets and American indie publications for its dream pop leanings. Early the next year the group joined Chad Kroeger's 604 imprint alongside Mint Records and immediately began tracking a debut album with producer and New Pornographers drummer Kurt Dahle. Those sessions collapsed, prompting the band to abandon the recordings and enlist Paul Forgues to finish Grab That Gun, issued in spring 2004.

Although international touring dates soon materialized, further lineup instability halted momentum. Webber exited in December over creative differences, rejoined temporarily to honor European commitments, then departed permanently while the band was overseas; Sketch's younger sister Shmoo stepped in as replacement. Bolstered by a new licensing arrangement with Too Pure, the refreshed ensemble resumed British dates and performed fresh material for BBC 6 Music in November 2005. Mid-2005 singles "Brother" and "Memorize the City" drew favorable notices, and the former track appeared during the second season of The L Word. The following summer the Organ scrapped remaining U.K. shows, including slots at Reading and Leeds, citing illness inside the group; speculation of an imminent dissolution intensified until the members confirmed their breakup on MySpace and their official site in December 2006.

Afterward Sketch pursued modeling, notably appearing in the U.K. edition of Vogue and other magazines, while Cohen launched the project Lovers Love Haters. The group reconvened briefly to polish unreleased material intended for a second album; those tracks surfaced on the posthumous EP Thieves, issued by Mint Records in 2008.