Yukon Blonde

Yukon Blonde formed in Kelowna, British Columbia, toward the end of the 2000s under the leadership of vocalist and chief songwriter Jeff Innes. Their first EP, the folk-rock-oriented Everything in Everyway, appeared in 2009, after which the band moved toward greater reliance on synthesizers and prominent, strutting bass lines. The 2012 album Tiger Talk earned a Juno nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year. By the time they reached their fifth release, Vindicator in 2020, the group had refined a relaxed yet assured fusion of dance-rock and synth pop.

Prior to adopting the Yukon Blonde name in 2008, the Kelowna quartet—Jeff Innes on guitar and vocals, Brandon Scott on guitar and vocals, Graham Jones on drums and vocals, and Adam Newton on bass—performed as Alphababy. They issued two EPs, You Gentle Crustacean in 2006 and Alphababy Live in 2008, and served as both opening act and backing band for Jon-Rae Fletcher before relocating to Vancouver and changing their name. The group then signed with Toronto-based Nevado Records and released the four-track EP Everything in Everyway in late 2009. Their more energetic full-length debut, Yukon Blonde, followed in early 2010 on Bumstead Records. Newton departed after the sessions, leaving the band to continue as a trio that hired a touring bassist. Their second album, Tiger Talk, arrived in 2012 on Dine Alone Records and secured the Juno nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year. During a self-imposed 2013 hiatus, Innes pursued his side project High Ends, which released Super Class in 2014.

After recruiting Manchester, England-born James Younger of Sun Wizard on bass, the band returned to the studio with Tiger Talk producer Colin Stewart. The resulting third album, On Blonde, surfaced in mid-2015 and featured an even more expansive sound that drew on glam and synth pop influences. Synthesizer player and backing vocalist Rebecca Grey, who had contributed to the record, became an official member. The quintet issued the stylistically similar Critical Hit in 2018, mixed by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Belle and Sebastian, the Kooks). Their fifth album, the self-produced Vindicator of 2020, reflected a more relaxed and confident approach and again featured James Younger on bass.