BEST OF 2024 Artist Picks: Theo Vandenhoff
To celebrate the end of 2024 and recognize some of the best work of the year, we partnered up with a few of our favorite artists. For this feature, we connected with Toronto post-punk/synth pop trio Theo Vandenhoff. All three members, Theo Klaver, Callum Crombie and Tom Nixon, contributed and selected the releases that were in heavy rotation this year.
Nächtlich - Exaltation of Evil (Band’s Pick)
Nächtlich are our favourite Toronto metal band. Incredibly prolific yet so consistent, they fuse beauty and brutality in a way only good black metal can. One of the best live acts in the city and our go-to band to throw on when we're driving back from a gig in rural Ontario late at night.
Rixe - Tir Groupé (Band’s Pick)
Callum keeps all our fingers pressed to the pulse of this promising new wave of Oi. Here's one we can say was a shared favourite. An homage to the very roots of drum machine driven French punk that could go toe-to-toe with any of its forebears. The music video for the title track is brilliant as well (watch here).
Tristwch Y Fenywod - S/T (Theo’s Pick)
2023 saw a flurry of brilliant Celtic avant-folk releases from artists such as Lisa O'Neill, John Francis Flynn, & Lankum. I felt a lack of that in this year until Tristwch Y Fenywod released their debut album. I would most closely compare this to 4AD groups like Dead Can Dance and This Mortal Coil although I think the way they incorporate their folk element is far more intricate and diversely sourced. On top of their trad Welsh influence I hear smatterings of everything from Comus to Hedy West.
Little Kid - A Million Easy Payments (Tom’s Pick)
It’s a very special thing to find an album that makes a brisk walk on autumn day feel important. To make you want to text your mum and hug a friend real close. This year Little Kid did that for me. The album is full of tracks I am genuinely glad exist, their vivid poetry remind me of what really matters. Gorgeous, intimate indie folk. Not a genre I spend lots of time with, but I couldn’t deny the immense presence of this album. I was repeatedly drawn back.
Subdued - Abattoir (Callum’s Pick)
I’ve been listening to Subdued pretty consistently since I heard “Torment & Torture” back in probably 2018, and I feel like they’ve gone from strength to strength since then. This album reminds me of bands like Exit Stance, who got me into hardcore punk when I was a young teenager, whilst still sounding fresh and vital. The lyricism throughout the record is great, and paints a picture of the evils of the British ruling classes.
A Fear Immortal by Theo Vandenhoff is out now and can be purchased on Bandcamp. Follow the band on Instagram.