The Shuvs

The Shuvs are a Toronto-based folk band whose soul-infused sound is akin to the music of Curtis Mayfield, Al Green and Van Morrison. Their debut, self-produced album was created within the walls of Toronto’s historic Coffin Factory Building, pictured on the album cover. Their use of analog equipment and recording techniques are integral to capturing the warmth and directness in their music. Each track, recorded live off-the-floor and on tape, is coloured by the openness and echo of the building’s interior.

The group is comprised of songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Rob Nicholls, drummer Richard Verdin, vocalist/percussionist Laura Anderson and bassist Jack Gunn. Nicholls’ electric acoustic guitar and jazzy chording alongside Verdin and Gunn's steady Motown rhythm section make for a stripped down and hard-hitting sound. Anderson fleshes out the symphonic and baroque dimension of the group with her sweeping harmonies that drip with the whimsy and fantasy of a young Joni Mitchell.

The album is a journey of love, hope and coming undone. Nicholls’ vulnerable lyrics backed by dreamy instrumentals are reflections of quiet turmoil in seemingly blissful settings. Like the feeling of drifting aimlessly down a familiar street on a sunny day, we’re reminded that sweetness cannot exist without pain.