Why LAPS Rule by Adam Sturgeon
LAPS
Hailing from a scene dominated by blues, garage, and folk-rock, LAPS are a throwback to mid-’90s/early 2000s Canadian math rock. This band recaptures the sounds previously dominated by men, by cityscapes and pretensions. But their math rock renaissance is defined by their own peculiar differences…
Sure, LAPS drop hook-laden time changes quickly and with striking contrast, skillfully inheriting their lineage, but with a decisive intervention: vocals, at times baroque and theatrical, delivered by one Heather Ogilvie, vintage clothing boutique owner and humble songwriting genius. Setting course for her songs on the 9 & 3’s is her band of gentlemen, consisting of youth prodigy Tate Lejeune on his untuned and jangly left-handed guitar, all-around good guy Cedric Noel methodically and “simply” owning the low end, and rounded out by Cuzn’ Scotty, forever counting on the kit.
Launching their public profile the right way: with a live video session in their hometown of Fredericton, LAPS recently transplanted to Montreal and have just begun to dip their toes into the possibilities of their complete and whole togetherness. Admirably, they have been charting a path all their own – their sound set adrift and defined by their relative isolation from their hometown; the barren shores of the Northside of the Saint John River’s (lesser but more accurately known as the Wolostoq), juxtaposed with the churches, monuments and general hustle and bustle of the South. LAPS are a shimmering hint on the water’s geometrical edges, an undertow of artistic measures, and current of electrical differentiation.
Adam Sturgeon is an Anishinabek artist, musician, avid screen printer, grassroots community builder and an advocate for Indigenous rights, social change and the strengthening of one’s identity within a cultural context. Currently based in London, Ontario, Adam fronts WHOOP-Szo and is a core organizer behind the Grickle Grass Festival.
Catch LAPS at Kazoo! Fest 2017 on Friday April 7th with Badminton Racquet, Century Egg and Eyeballs @ eBar.
