Odonis Odonis have proven time and time again that they’re not interested in doing the same thing twice. Since their beginnings, the Toronto outfit led by core duo Constantin Tzenos and Denholm Whale, have put out five full-length albums, and played countless shows and festivals across North America and Europe, all while following their musical instincts. In the past eleven years, they’ve thrillingly explored genres including post-punk, EBM, industrial, shoegaze, pop, and surf rock. For their next evolution, Odonis Odonis are shifting from the grind of the traditional music industry with its unstainable physical and psychological demands, to strictly focus on meaningful creative endeavors. These include releasing music, album production, and event production, and draw on Tzenos and Whale’s collective talents and experience. From producing, scoring, and mastering at Tzenos’s new studio After Hours, to countless curated shows through Whale’s co-run concert company Transmit Presents, these past and forthcoming projects were chosen selectively, and with the intention of working with individuals they respect and admire.

Out June 9th on Pirates Blend & Felte, the duo describe their forthcoming collaborative EP ICON as a “calling card,” and it perfectly encapsulates the new iteration of Odonis Odonis. Following their 2021 album Spectrums, they started working on this collection of five songs, writing them geared towards some of their favorite veteran and up-and-coming artists. “We wanted to bring out what we admire in them and prove that we can do a variety of styles,” explains Whale. Some like New York noise rock mainstays A Place to Bury Strangers, Pittsburgh experimentalist TOBACCO, and Vancouver post-punks ACTORS, they’ve previously shared stages and tour vans with, while others like Vancouver darkwave singer and pianist Terror Bird and Los Angeles industrial pop project Patriarchy, are more recent discoveries. The striking artwork comes courtesy of New York-based noise artist Dreamcrusher, another act who shares Whale and Tzenos’ community-minded ethos. Somewhat ironically, by shedding their skin as a band, the duo have embraced the individual spotlight more, and ICON marks the first chapter (with further collaborations to come) of this new Odonis Odonis era.

- Max Mertens