ginla

Having met while attending college, Ginla are an experimental electronic duo who push the boundaries of what we have come to know from the genre. Based out of Toronto and Brooklyn, Ginla was born in 2013 and since they have released two songs in the teaser "My Brain Is A Filter" and the sound establishing "Almost Plastic". Building off of "Almost Plastic" we are happy to premiere "Things You Have", presumably off of their upcoming debut EP.

Filled with a dense electronic soundscape that carries listeners away, easing vocals drive the song through, where at one point a spotlight guitar melody gives the song a surprising edge. With its pulsing middle-ground "Things You Have" acts as a great introduction to Ginla's distinct style.

Come the release of their debut EP, expect more forward-minded songs like "Things You Have" - Earmilk

The day you get yourself a dog, you undergo a number of improbably personal changes: your pockets start to overflow with plastic bags, yes; although it’s the exponentially increased number of internal monologues (some compelling; others crazed) that you have with yourself on a daily basis that is probably the most bizarre. I digress; but just yesterday, I pondered – while a-wandering (no longer lonelily, I ought add) – which country was currently producing the finest musical finery. And, as we move smoothly on from Pick a Piper’s Fluency, to Toronto duo ginla’s Things You Have – harvested from their début EP, Dreaming In Circles – the ineluctable truth that Canada is indeed producing ‘the finest musical finery’ at the minute makes itself unmistakably manifest once more. For Things You Have is a quite uncategorisable, but quintessentially brilliant contrivance from Joe Manzoli and Jon Nellen; and long may they – and their homeland – continue to push the proverbial envelope as such from across the pond… - Dots and Dashes

Toronto natives Ginla comprise of Joe Manzoli and Jon Nellen who are a fairly mysterious bunch at the moment. There are no pictures of them and their website is solely filled with a static film loop of a car going past with their second track, “Almost Plastic”, placed in the middle.

Their first track, “My Brain Is A Filter”, serves as a short instrumental intro to the duo. As wave samples crash and glittering synths collide, a propulsive, clattering drumbeat stampedes the otherwise dreamy atmosphere of “Almost Plastic”. The beat overpowers the light vocals, nicely finished with a touch of reverb.

In essence, Ginla sound like early Animal Collective, which is certainly enough reason to listen to their latest offering. Stream “Almost Plastic” below. - Line of Best Fit

It's a music snob cliché, but Ginla's debut EP really ought to be listened to on headphones. The lush textures of the Toronto-Brooklyn electronic duo (Joe Manzoli and Jon Nellen) are so subtle and fine, they might otherwise be completely missed. For example, We're All Floating sounds like what a warm bath feels like - tender and like you never want it to end, with tangents of shimmering synth that keep the song from drifting into a completely sleepy state.

Other times, however, the duo throw nuance out the window, like on the most upbeat track, Things You Have, which is overloaded with stray effects and woozy vocals, making it hard to find the song's essential groove. Overall: a solid debut from two young producers who clearly have a knack for ethereal soundscapes and are on their way toward mastering the subtle art of layering. - Now Magazine

Together, Joe Manzoli and Jon Nellen combine to make for Torontonian duo ginla, although all the more pertinently, together they’ve contrived the ethereal and resplendently fluid Almost Plastic. The sound of young frivolity set to song, aqueous vocals reminiscent of Panda Bear’s Person Pitch sloosh about inside a reverie-provoking tank containing plush shimmers of guitar, immersive synths and sampled plashes. We’d implore you dive right on in. - Dots and Dashes

Ginla, we hardly know ya and already we love ya. “Almost Plastic” is only the second song the band has released and it’s a marvelously sunny huge synthpop jam. Ginla is a duo of producers that met in Boston and now ply their electrocraft in Toronto. Their debut EP Almost Plastic is coming out this spring and we predict big things. - Silent Shout

Toronto duo ginla — Joe Manzoli and Jon Nellen — write songs that flutter and thump. Across the length of their mesmerizing EP, Dreaming in Circles, they unspool mini mirages: wavy, wheezing numbers built from slowly-exhaling organs and dotted with sun-catching synths. “Things You Have” sounds like some Martian take on calypso, synthetic steel drums pinging away behind curlicues of slack-key guitar. On “Marooned,” electronics pool and expand while a drum track scurries wildly in across the background. There’s a melodicism to the songs, but it’s easy and unhurried. The vocals are sighed, not sung, and feel almost like another instrument — another neon band of color in this weird, transfixing rainbow. - Wondering Sound

ginla is Toronto-based duo of producers Joe Manzoli and Jon Nellen. ‘Almost Plastic’ is the premier release off an upcoming EP set for a spring release. The track starts off with a splash of beach waves, and sets up an ambient vibe backed by hazy distorted vocals and groovy electronic beats, finishing off with some major reverb action and recognizable MGMT-esque keys riff. There is an anonymity around the duo, as there are no pictures available, except a visual loop accompanying the track on the website. With a debut as strong as ‘Almost Plastic’, ginla won’t be a mystery for too long. - Ride The Tempo