Alvvays

Prior to forming Alvvays, lead vocalist Molly Rankin had always taken a keen interest in music; strongly influenced by her father John Morris Rankin – member of the Canadian musical family group, The Rankin Family. Molly Rankin subsequently teamed up with keyboardist, friend and childhood next-door neighbour, Kerri Maclellan, and the two begun playing music together. After meeting a concert during their teenage years, Rankin and Maclellan invited guitarist Alec O’Hanley to join in on their practice sessions and whom later became a full-time member.

In 2010 Rankin issued a solo EP “She”, recorded with O’Hanley on guitar duties. Whilst failing to cause a stir in the indie-pop world, Rankin had gained some invaluable recording and live performance experience and subsequently formed Alvvays. Featuring Rankin, Maclallen, O’Hanley, bassist Brian Murphy and drummer PhilMacIssac, the group toured extensively in support of Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Peter, Bjorn and John. This period of touring did wonders for the group’s exposure and allowed Alvvays to test out new material before heading to the studio.

After signing with Royal Mountain Records in Canada, the group headed to Chad VanGaalen’s record studio in Calgary to record their debut. Released in July 2014, the band’s self-titled release earned a string of rave reviews from the critical press and topped the U.S. College Charts in August 2014. Also featuring production from Holy Fuck’s Graham Walsh and John Agnello, the record introduced the band to a huge international audience, aided by the singles “Archie, Marry Me”, “Adult Diversion”, “Next of Kin”, and “Party Police”. The record was supported by not stop touring of North American and Europe including shows at SXSW, Glastonbury and Osheaga.