Weaves are one of Toronto's exciting and most promising rock bands. They give their listeners jolted, stingy guitar jams that are a little bit weird, completely sensitive at times, but wholly interesting. They were recently shortlisted for Canada's Polaris Prize (honouring the best of the best of the year) for their self-titled debut, and, at the gala last night, they skyrocketed into a new sphere of not only performance but what they can sonically achieve. Weaves performed "Scream" (from their forthcoming sophomore LP, Wide Open, out in a couple weeks via Buzz Records) with Tanya Tagaq, who is featured on the searing, yet measured song about why it is important to love oneself. The performance was nothing short of extraordinary. Singer Jasmyn Burke and Tagaq—the Inuk throat singer and Polaris Prize winner who offers stunningly visceral and incredible performances—held tight onto each other, directly facing one another and playing off of each other's sounds.On the heels of this performance, Weaves have released the completed video for "Scream." In it, Tagaq and Burke are centered in a white room, dancing around in animal masks, painting, and bathed in red light while screaming into the camera lens. They also wear red dresses, a nod to the REDress Project, dedicated to murdered and missing Indigenous women, which was a centerpiece of Tagaq's performance at the Polaris gala last night. "Scream" is sonically rich and different; initially starting out with guitar bloops and bops with Burke's aching lyrics about the difficulty of living in our current era and why it is more important than ever to embrace who you are. Tagaq's guttural grunts and moans and then full on screaming elevate and make the track so urgent.Watch the video above.Sarah is tired from the Polaris Prize gala. Follow her on Twitter, if you must.
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