The Former Site Of

An album that may not have the hooks of the New Pornographers’ earlier material, but one that is a welcome return from a band who deserve to be at the forefront of any Canadian indie music revival.

Overall, a compelling set clearly completed in the aftermath of a storm. [May 2026, p.87]

The surrounding circumstances inevitably bring an additional layer of darkness to allusively eloquent, quietly agitated songs. [Apr 2026, p.36]

It’s ELO and ELP and the Cars on lithium. Roxy Music is another ingredient in the strange, gauzy casserole. It’s stylish in an uncomfortable way, like a Stereolab record by way of a hostage crisis.

Sometimes, as on “Pure Sticker Shock,” the emphasis on open space can drag. Let’s just say that there’s a lack of punchy anthems, but as tracks like “Votive” and “Ballad of the Last Payphone” demonstrate, the supergroup’s brand of tuneful melancholy remains intact.

On their 10th album, The Former Site Of, bandleader A.C. Newman has honed his playful gibberish to the point that it's become his signature style, delightful rather than simply a way to fill the syllables of his towering power pop melodies.

It's another subtle outing from a band whose energetic peaks once defined them, but in this later period opt for patience over power.

If all this makes the record sound like a bit of a buzzkill, that’s because it is, though not in a bad way. The Former Site Of is all too aware of what most of us are feeling like these days, and rather than acting as a distraction or rebuttal to the state of the world, it invites us to look straight at it—or rather, askance at it via the music.