Handsome Distraction have steadily introducing themselves into Canada’s alternative and indie rock scene since they formed four years ago. The four-piece band has seen several major successes over the past year while showcasing their music in venues throughout Canada. Despite swapping a couple band members, the band from Victoria, B.C. has completed three EPs which have catapulted them onto college and mainstream radio stations throughout the country.
They released their latest EP, A Mighty Roar, in May this year. The band has been on tour during the last two weeks, playing at venues throughout B.C. and Alberta. The tour includes two separate performances at Dickens Pub on Sept. 26 and at the all-ages music hub The New Black on Sept. 27.
“We’re always trying something new,” Devin Perfect says, Handsome Distraction’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “We, as a band, don’t sit there and think about writing some kind of hit song or radio-friendly song. We write music that we really want to play as a collective.”
Perfect says they try not to pigeonhole themselves into any one genre.
The band’s ability to have such variation within their music stems from the variation the band has within its members: alternating from drummer Kyle White’s metal background, to lead guitarist Joey Mono’s Seattle induced punk-and-grunge styling, then to bassist Chris Weavers English rocker attributes and all the way to Perfect’s ’90s-alternative flourishes.
The five-song EP highlights the band’s eclectic style, which ranges from a liquescent droning guitar solo in “The Why” to fast-paced vocal and instrumental embellishments in “No False Alarm.”
In addition to the four-piece band’s compositional styles, Handsome Distraction is known for their lively and energetic performance style. Perfect says it’s the band’s favourite part of performing: they love feeling and seeing the vigour of the audience. The band loves getting engrossed in the music and in the crowd. They love being able to connect with their fans on a deeper level.
“I like getting down in the crowd with my guitar and just rocking out with people and jumping into the mosh-pit,” Perfect says. “We don’t want to just get up there and play our instruments and stand still. We want to express the emotions of that song through our bodies.”
They’ll be performing in the CBGB Music & Film Festival in New York City next month and at Indie Week in Toronto.