Toronto electronic duo, Cubs Refrain, is reimagining synthpop as a dynamic rock subgenre. Influenced by groups like CHVRCHES, Metric, and Muse, band members Erin Roblin and Jordan Shew utilize analogue synthesizers and electronic music production techniques to create their signature “wall of synths” sound.
Cubs Refrain has recently landed two synch placements on the award-winning Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience,” and their single, “Never Enough” has garnered over 28,000 streams on Spotify and was added to Stingray’s Canadian Indie channel. The duo’s debut concept album, “Tell Me You Love Me” (2018), was praised as “indie-pop perfection” (Live In Limbo) and “a rapturous work of vivid passion, heartfelt intensity and vehement romanticism“ (Turn Up The Volume).
Jordan mixes and produces all of the band’s material in his home studio where they do most of their recording. In addition to the breadth of synth sounds, many of their tracks also feature electric guitar, cello, and any inanimate object Jordan can get a noise out of.
Over the past two years, Cubs Refrain has brought their elaborate synth production to life, performing at Riverfest Elora, Canadian Music Week, Indie Week and independent shows across Southern Ontario. Dedicated to carving out their own aesthetic, Cubs Refrain is combining retro synth tones with driving rhythms and harmoniously edgy vocals to create a new genre of synth-rock for youthful boldness.
