By Kyle Young
Zita is a lucky person. Like most of us, she likes to sing in the shower. However, unlike most of us, Zita’s singing managed to get her discovered by a couple of musically inclined friends and marked the beginnings of the Canadian group One Ton.
“It was a nice way to wake up,” remarks Byron, reminiscing about the house party that had transpired the night before.
One Ton recently launched their debut album, Abnormal Pleasures.The disc features a wide variety of styles and demonstrates a refreshing dose of talent on the main stage of club/pop. With two of the three members having taken formal music training at a conservatory in Quebec, One Ton has a decisive edge against their peers.
“We’re music lovers,” explains Byron, a former student of classical guitar. “I think that’s what we have over a lot of other pop bands, just a thorough knowledge of music. We know what to mix with what.”
Indeed. One Ton writes, performs and produces all of their own music, which alone makes them noteworthy in their genre.
An added advantage to One Ton’s creative control is the freedom to step outside the barriers of pop.
“We have every style in there,” explains producing member Cristobal. “It scares people, not to have just one sound. Today you have to have something really narrow and recognizable for [the label’s] marketing.”
Throughout Abnormal Pleasures, One Ton manages to experiment with multiple styles.
“We have everything from raggae to blues” specifies Zita.
There is still a fair quantity of pop on the album, though even the pop has more invested into it than what you might find in the Top 40. Take for instance the first single off Abnormal Pleasures, “Supersexworld.” This club-style track carries about as much depth of meaning as the title suggests.
“Supersexworld is like a big joke, nothing but fun,” confesses Byron. “I laugh at it myself. I find it funny, laughing at the whole sex thing.”
However, even this track has something more.
“There are people like Daft Punk where the lyrics are so cheesy, so bad, but what they do with the sound is something different, something clever,” explains Cristobal. “It’s not like 90 per cent of those dance bandsâ€|”