Since 2014, Toronto-based musicians Matthew Angus and Kirty have collaborated harmoniously in their band Fast Romantics. Among their discography are songs such as "Julia," "Why We Fight," "Smoke + Lightning," "Hold On, Let it Go" and "Euphoria."
After five years, the pair released their most recent album, "Happiness + Euphoria."
Following three prior albums, "Afterlife Blues" (2013), "American Love" (2017) and "Pick It Up" (2020), their fourth record was released Sept. 29. Because Kirty joined the band in 2014, it will be the pair's third album together.
It is uniquely presented in two distinguishable sides, "Side Euphoria" and "Side Happiness," which Angus says reflects on experiences before and during the pandemic.
With mixing from The Killers and Haim producer Dave Schiffman, "Side Euphoria" is full of upbeat pop anthems, particularly about the euphoric rush of being a band pre-pandemic.
On the other hand, "Side Happiness" is a collection of profound, personal ballads mixed by Marcus Paquin, a producer for bands . The somewhat existential collection of songs reflects mainly the self-exploration and uncertainty that came along with the lockdown.
Before Fast Romantics, both Angus and Kirty already had lifelong connections to music.
"My mom was a piano teacher so she forced me into it and it kind of stuck and I've been doing it ever since then," Angus said. "I didn't really pick up the guitar until I was 13 or 14, I think, and really kind of got bit by the bug then."
Similarly, Kirty also inherited her love of music from her mother before joining a concert band and eventually studying music at a university in Toronto.
Growing up playing and listening to a certain type of music has greatly influenced the overall sound of Fast Romantics.
Much of the musical inspiration for the band's discography comes from folk-rock and Motown music pioneers of the 1970s. According to Kirty, some notably influential artists include Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin and Neil Young.
Modern musical influences also assisted in the making of the album. The main four accredited are Marcus Paquin, Dave Schiffman, Gus van Go, who produced the band's biggest hit, "Julia," and Murray Lightburn, the singer for The Dears.
In Angus' words, the making of the album was a long-term process that "took a village."
Another factor that makes Fast Romantics' music so enjoyable is the respect the two musicians have for one another. When discussing the tracklist, which both Angus and Kirty collaborated on, the admirability for each other's talent is clear.
"My favorite song on the album is 'Hold on, Let it Go' which is kind of this slower, really sentimental song on the record." Kirty said. "I think it's one of my favorites Matt's ever written and it's both amazing for the record and fun to play live."
As for Angus, his favorite track is "Smoke + Lightning," which he claims is the best song that Kirty's ever written.
Aside from music, Fast Romantics has a knack for storytelling through visuals.
"We've been rolling out tons of snippets, tons of videos with a lot of these songs, some more produced with a proper storyline and some really over the top and some really chill." Kirty said. "If you look back on any of the singles we've released, they all have a juicy little piece of content with them, usually in the shape of a video. We took a bunch of time to make fun, creative content while we were planning for the record release."
With the record finally out, Angus and Kirty plan on taking time to bask in their achievement.
Fast Romantics' music, including "Happiness + Euphoria," is available on all streaming services.
Additionally, their website, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, are home to updates and announcements regarding the band.
