Community Picks is a weekly series where artists submit a release to be voted on by members of the Nina community. Once a week, the release with the most votes will receive editorial coverage. This week’s winner is “That Could Be Me” by The Painters. The song is a time-spanning piece of twee-leaning jangle rock, perfectly executed and perfect for all of the pure pop believers out there. We sent over some questions to band members Alex B and Josh B, read the interview and listen to the “That Could Be Me” below.

Where are you from?

Alex B: I’m from Ottawa. Josh, Michael, and Alex L grew up in Calgary where they met as teenagers in the all-ages music scene. I met the three of them in Montreal where we all live now. We share an apartment where we record and practice music. 

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?

Josh B: Our band keeps evolving. We’ve played together for a while now, and the sound keeps shifting as our tastes change. Right now we’re interested in working more recklessly. Most of our recent influences sound nothing like the music we make. It doesn’t matter how much cloud-rap or techno I listen to … The music I work on always ends up sounding like indie rock. Our last album is more folk, but now we’re playing around with Auto-Tune and flangers which pull it away from that world. So far, all our music is based around the songwriting of Alex Bourque, and flushed out as a band. Michael and I mostly do the production. 

Tell us about your release on Nina.

Alex B: “That Could Be Me” is a cut from our upcoming EP, Single Cell Nostalgia. It was recorded mostly live off the floor in our apartment, with the addition of some double-tracked guitar and vocals. All of the songs are about loneliness.

Josh B: Our previous release was stitched together by overdubbing every instrument. Recording live is new for us. The accidents become part of the music. Michael’s lead guitar was originally meant to be a scratch-take while we tracked the beds, but the band liked his performance so much that we basically forced him to keep it. 

What kind of tools do you use to make music?

Josh B: Most of the music we’ve made until now was recorded onto tape, but this release is all digital. I guess you could say we’re starting to embrace our moment in time, as opposed to situating ourselves in some aesthetic history. It’s just a normal rock band set-up—two guitars, bass, and drums. We record onto a laptop and mix with plugins on Logic. We’re lucky to have a space where we can be loud—that’s a pretty rare situation for a Montreal apartment. 

Who are 3-5 independent artists you think people should check out?

Alex B: Pantie Wilson: She played an amazing set when we played together a few weeks ago at The Crumper loft space in Montreal. I believe there is new album in the works. @t_i_l_a_p_i_a. Michael Halls: Michael plays lead guitar in our band. This solo composition was used for the end credits of our visual album, which came out last year. @dagnusschmarb. girl with dream: Chrissy is a good friend whose new EP, Tell, was produced by Josh. Emo vibes. @girlw_dream. Amador Diaz: We discovered Air Dash on Nina, and it quickly became a family favourite. @amadordiaz_exe. DJ Arana: Not sure if he is independent but we find this music inspiring. @djaranaofficial.