The Perms

In 1998 the Perms assembled in Brandon, Manitoba as a Canadian alt-rock trio. Shane on bass and vocals and his brother Chad on guitar and vocals had each logged several years in separate projects before bringing in Paul Thorsteinson to complete a power-pop trio shaped by their shared enthusiasm for ’70s rock and power pop. Referencing Cheap Trick, Badfinger, and Weezer, the group signed to Winnipeg indie Hugtight Records and issued its debut album, Tight Perm, that year. The band later shifted base to Winnipeg, where high school friend John Huver stepped in for Thorsteinson in time to track the 2002 follow-up, Clark Drive. Touring circuits soon widened across Canada and the U.S., and the third album, Better Days, appeared in 2005. Its concise, melodic power pop and high-energy live shows steadily built an audience, after which the quartet began European dates following the release of its fourth album, Keeps You Up When You’re Down. The fifth album, Sofia Nights, arrived in 2011 and drew directly from that first European tour, prompting a return overseas in 2012. The four-song Aberdeen EP surfaced a year later in 2013.