Montreal’s Diamond Day, a duo crafting shimmering electro-dreamscapes from janky glitch-pop and shoegaze haze, unleashes their debut record, “Connect the Dots,” this February 29th. The album promises a retro-futuristic odyssey through 10 hypnotic tracks, with Béatrix Méthé’s magnetic vocals and Quinn Bachand’s billowing noise-pop as its driving forces.
Their latest single, the aptly titled “Connect the Dots,” offers a glimpse into this swirling world. Méthé’s upbringing in Quebec’s musical traditions shines through in odd-metered waltzes and gothic themes, warped by angsty drums, ’80s synths, and Broadcast-esque samples. The result is a grungy yet uplifting pop symphony, teetering between Björk’s ethereal ballads and My Bloody Valentine’s wall-of-sound intensity.
But “Connect the Dots” isn’t just sonic alchemy. It’s a song born from personal crossroads. In 2019, Méthé faced eviction from her Montreal apartment while Bachand finished school in Boston. Road trips between Montreal, rural Quebec, and Vermont, fueled by Björk’s introspective lyrics, became the backdrop for songwriting. The song’s cyclical form and subtle lyrical shifts echo both Björk’s poetic narratives and the tranquility of Méthé’s grandmother’s Vermont home.
Bachand infuses the track with his love for the band Lovesliescrushing, evident in the swirling guitars. However, the initial version languished unfinished under production pressure. Enter Jorge Elbrecht, producer extraordinaire behind Tamaryn and Sky Ferreira. His arrival injected “Connect the Dots” with the missing spark, adding pulsating arpeggiated basslines, electrifying drums, and effects reminiscent of Elbrecht’s signature productions.
“So inspiring to have someone like that come in and make a bunch of exciting and definitive decisions,” enthuses Quinn. “Just objectively good decisions. He solved the puzzle and reminded us what’s fun about music.”
For Méthé, “Connect the Dots” symbolizes rebirth. “It represents the album and project as a whole,” she confides, “the death of our pasts and ascension into something new as Diamond Day.”
