Joanne Pollock

I read that people who are chronically late owe their habitual tardiness to optimism. As one of these “types” myself, I can regretfully confirm this horrid behaviour – so here is my optimistically late review for Joanne Pollock’s gorgeous new EP Optimist which dropped digitally on Bandcamp earlier this summer.

Hailing from Toronto, but spending a lot of time in Winnipeg these days, Joanne is also one half of the dreamy-experimental pop-synth duo Poemss with Aaron Funk (aka Venetian Snares). With Optimist you can definitely hear a growth in her skills as a producer, which has allowed her to fully-realize the complex scope of her restrained yet massively elaborate and unexpected sound.

This six-track boasts some surprisingly intricate analogue drum programming and deep shimmering waves of vintage synths that appear and are washed away by ripples of new tones, only to emerge again. Joanne’s misty voice commands this legion of electronics through clouds of airy reverb and echo. From start to finish, Optimist is startlingly fresh, beautiful and extremely captivating to the ears. It’s difficult to listen to this EP without getting completely lost in the music and drifting away to sparkly synth daydreams. - Silent Shout

From the galvanized ganglia of Mark Anthony Brennan:

No natural light penetrated as far as the street market where I tried on device after device. The voices of angels emanated from a probe injected into my ear. Inhaled vapours induced artificial euphoria. Plastic memories came to life. I sailed imagined oceans of dreams. “It all seems so real.” The vendor laughed in the neon daylight. “It is real,” he said. “As real as the sensations synthesized by chemical processes in your skull.”

To this day I am not sure if my recollections of that day are genuine or just something that old scoundrel implanted in my brain. - Weird Canada

Producer and musician Joanne Pollock is one half of Poemss (along with Aaron Funk), though her latest solo release arrived earlier this summer in the form of an EP titled Optimist. The track "Your String" featured on the record but has since been reworked by Funk's Venetian Snares project — and Exclaim! has got your exclusive first listen to the remixed tune.

It's an intricate and infectious amalgamation of digitized instrumentation and Pollock's airy, echoing and hypnotic vocals. Unexpected electronic hiccups keep listeners on their toes, captivating ears and demanding attention rather than merely engaging listeners with a sense of passive enjoyment.

You can hear Pollock bring her music to life at a handful of upcoming shows, which are listed below. Scroll past those and hit play to hear Venetian Snares' take on "Your String" in the player below.

Tour dates:

09/12 Montreal, QC – 185 Van Horne
09/17 Toronto, ON – Dundas Video
10/04 Toronto, ON – Burdock Music Hall - Exclaim!