Wolf Parade

Wolf Parade, an indie rock group from Canada, earned widespread acclaim from reviewers while unexpectedly achieving solid sales during the 2000s and 2010s, thanks to their layered, energetic sound assembled from multiple sources. Catchy structures anchored their material, drawing on the synth-driven new wave style of the 1980s, yet they infused the tracks with dramatic scope and instrumental scale reminiscent of prog rock, most notably through Spencer Krug’s Bowie-styled vocals, while a playful edge and thoughtful perspective gave the songs emotional depth beneath their polished production. The band earned strong notices from both critics and listeners for their opening pair of full-length releases, 2005’s Apologies to the Queen Mary and 2008’s At Mount Zoomer, then reemerged after a five-year break with undiminished strength on 2017’s Cry Cry Cry.

Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the group came together in 2003 after songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Spencer Krug, already active with Frog Eyes, received an invitation to open for the Arcade Fire. He accepted at once, only to realize he required additional players for the performance scheduled just a week later. Reaching out to Dan Boeckner, whose background included Atlas Strategic, Krug and Boeckner quickly began composing together with a drum machine supplying the beat; drummer Arlen Thompson joined so near the concert date that the full lineup first rehearsed together during the soundcheck. The gig succeeded, prompting the musicians to continue as a unit. By year’s end Wolf Parade had issued a self-released four-song CD-R EP, followed by a six-song CD EP in 2004. Keyboardist Hadji Bakara expanded the lineup to a quartet by the time the second EP appeared. Through their connection with Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, who was also scouting for Sub Pop Records, the band secured a deal after Brock, already impressed by Boeckner’s earlier work, championed the new project; he produced their self-titled four-song EP for the label.

Apologies to the Queen Mary, the band’s debut full-length and again produced by Brock, arrived in September 2005, drawing enthusiastic reviews, earning a Polaris Music Prize nomination, and reaching number 158 on the national Top 200 Albums chart. Former Hot Hot Heat member Dante DeCaro joined on rhythm guitar and percussion, strengthening the live presentation of the album’s detailed arrangements. In 2008 Kenji Fusé of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra premiered a symphonic adaptation of “I’ll Believe in Anything,” while the second album, At Mount Zoomer, appeared on Sub Pop and climbed into the Top 50 of the album charts amid further critical praise. Hadji Bakara departed at year’s end to pursue academic work. Late in 2009 the remaining members began recording a third album; during sessions they discovered they had all visited the 1986 World’s Fair in Vancouver during the same week, an occurrence that supplied the title Expo 86 when the record emerged in June 2010. After touring concluded in mid-2011, the group announced an indefinite hiatus, during which Krug launched the Moonface project and Boeckner performed with Handsome Furs and Divine Fits.

Wolf Parade reconvened in 2016 to write and track new songs, launched a reunion tour, and completed their fourth studio album, Cry Cry Cry, released by Sub Pop in October 2017. Dante DeCaro exited in 2018 following a world tour, leaving the band to finish its next release as a trio. Produced by John Goodmanson, Thin Mind appeared in January 2020.