The Elwins are a Canadian indie rock band from Keswick, Ontario, consisting of singer and guitarist Matthew Sweeney, drummer Travis Stokl, guitarist/keyboardist Feurd and bassist/singer Frankie Figliomeni.
Biography
Early Days
The Elwins started out as a duo playing original music in high school at Huron Heights Secondary School. They recorded their self-titled debut EP in 2008 at Chemical Sound Studios. After performing as a duo for a period of time they made the decision to expand their sound, adding long time friend, Feurd, on guitar and keyboard and Christopher Shannon on bass.. The band made a number of short videos and clips during this time drawing from their wide array of comedic inspirations such as Maria Bamford, John Mulaney and Nathan for You, which advertised local shows, handmade merch or their comedic chops. In November, 2011 the group released a video for their song "Help a Bro Out " aimed at raising awareness for Men's Health. The band recorded an EP titled The Elwins & Friends Volume One alongside Doctor EW and T H O M A S that was released December 25, 2011. Their first full-length album, And I Thank You, was self-released on February 21, 2012. In early 2012 The Elwins embarked on their first US tour, in which they opened for Jukebox the Ghost and SPEAK. The tour consisted of 12 dates spanning much of the Southeastern United States and East Coast, culminating in a SXSW performance. The Elwins recorded a song for each city they played in on their March 2012 tour, lamenting on the cities history and serenading about how eager they were to play there, promotional videos for each song where directed by Christopher Shannon and published on the band's youtube account. The songs were compiled into a Tour Songs EP and made available on the bands' Bandcamp page. In May 2012 bassist Christopher Shannon left the band to pursue other interests and was replaced by Frankie Figliomeni.
Breakthrough
The Elwins began their second major tour in September 2013, this time headlining themselves. The tour included a handful of North American dates, and included many shows across Western Europe. The tour featured over 40 dates. In October 2014, the Elwins signed with North American record label Hidden Pony. They re-released their debut album And I Thank You on October 21 and released their sophomore album Play for Keeps later the following year, February 24, 2015. The album was released in North America under Hidden Pony Records, Affairs of the Heart in Europe and Moorworks in Japan. The band supported the release with tours of Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan.. The first single, "So Down Low", reached No. 12 overall at alternative radio in Canada. The single charted for six months and was used in a Canada-wide advertising campaign for Fido. This album saw the band move from a DIY and lo fi sound to a more polished pop driven sound. On October 13, 2017, The Elwins released their third studio album, Beauty Community. The first single, "Hey! Ya, You", reached the top 10 on Canadian Alternative radio charts. peaking at number 6. They toured the record in late 2017 with Fast Romantics across Canada, followed by a winter 2018 support tour of Dashboard Confessional. Recording for the album took place shortly after the conclusion of their Play for Keeps tours. The album was produced by Derek Hoffman, who previously had previously collaborated with the band on their previous album. In spring of 2019, T-Mobile used the song "Never Felt So Good" for their North American Live Nation advertising campaign.
Following 2017's Beauty Community, The Elwins left Hidden Pony and formed their own label "Pink Eye Recordings". The band began working on their fourth studio album in late 2018 isnpired by 70s AM-radio pop to the mid-2000s alternative. The group released the album's first single "Take Me All The Way" on April 03, 2020. On June 26, the band released their second single from the record, "Weight of the World". The album marks a swift departure from their previous albums innocent and optimistic lyrics and takes a more somber and introspective approach.
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame are also inducted as part of the awards ceremonies. The Juno Awards are often referred to as the equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in the United States.
