Tag: Toadally

Reality Check — Ann Arbor’s Toadally Explores the Ups and Downs of Everyday Life on “Crash” EP

From left: Kim Truong, Spencer Mullins, Jake McCarthy, Fangbo Yuan, and Victoria Horne of Toadally. Photo by Yiyun Huang.

For Toadally, the struggle is real on Crash.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan band explores the ups and downs of personal and professional challenges on its debut EP.

“We had a general vibe of what we were writing, and it just seemed to impact the songs in that kind of way,” said Spencer Mullins, Toadally’s vocalist and guitarist.

“And then later on, once we started organizing and revising the songs, that’s when it started to take shape as one project—one EP. We chose Crash at the very end because we didn’t know what to call it.”

On Crash, the band addresses themes of impulsivity, courage, and disappointment across five multigenre tracks that primarily reside in the indie-rock world.

Bandmates Victoria Horne (vocals, piano, synth, flute), Fangbo Yuan (vocals, guitar), Jake McCarthy (drums), Kim Truong (bass), and Mullins weave a compelling tapestry of tongue-in-cheek stories and energetic sounds that resonate with all kinds of listeners.

“I’m sure you’ll pick up on those themes of being dissatisfied with the way the world is or being dissatisfied with yourself,” said Kim Truong, who’s also Toadally’s loremaster.

“Even though a lot of our music tends to be a mishmash and in the moment and reactive, I think those themes of how we navigate ourselves, the world, and other people are pretty common.”

I recently spoke with the band about the inspiration behind its latest EP.

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Starting a New Chapter — The City Lines Have a Fresh Lineup and Roster of Summer Shows

Victoria Horne, Johnny Scott, Bob Zammit, and Pat Deneau of The City Lines. Photo – Danny Burton.

Victoria Horne, Johnny Scott, Bob Zammit, and Pat Deneau of The City Lines. Photo – Danny Burton.

The City Lines are starting a new chapter.

The Ann Arbor-based alt-rock band recently added two new members, lead guitarist Johnny Scott and bassist Victoria Horne, to their lineup. They join vocalist-guitarist Pat Deneau and drummer Bob Zammit.

“There is a total synergy on the stage now,” Deneau said. “It’s really fun playing these songs closer to the way that we recorded them, with the lead guitar parts and some basslines that are moving a little bit. Victoria and Johnny are bringing energy to the stage that I really feed off.”

The band also recently announced three shows for this summer, including May 30 with Joe Jordan at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, June 25 with Cracked & Hooked and Pillow Princess at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti, and August 6 with A Thousand Horses at Lager House in Detroit.

The City Lines will perform songs from their growing catalog, which includes last year’s Prescribed Fires album and two prior releases.

“We’re a new band to a lot of people who are maybe going to wonder how we got three records out under their nose and why there are as many listenable songs,” Zammit said. “It’s because we’ve been working really hard on that end of it, and now, through the support of the community, we can support folks and be helpful.”

To learn more, I spoke with the band about their new members and live shows.

Continue reading “Starting a New Chapter — The City Lines Have a Fresh Lineup and Roster of Summer Shows” →