HILOTRONS

“The HILOTRONS’ jerky syncopated beats will get under your skin...” Chartattack.com

“Supremely catchy!” Ottawa Citizen

“Quirky, unabashedly poppy and irreverent like a motherf#*$er!” –HOUR

“Dubue and his cohorts play high-energy dance-pop-rock with a dash of outer space in the lyrics and stuttering, percussive vocals that recall The Cars’ Ric Ocasek.” Toronto Sun

 

Long considered one of Ottawa’s finest live acts, HILOTRONS have
joined forces with Kelp to release their 3rd LP entitled Happymatic.
Formed in 2002, HILOTRONS stormed out of the gates with the frantic
HILOTRONS a year later. Their debut established the band’s trademark
mélange of funk, new wave and soundtrack music, faithfully capturing
to tape the energy of their sweaty live shows.

Bella Simone followed in 2006, showcasing a sometimes rawer, more
distorted sound, but also expanding the range of HILOTRONS’ palette
by including subdued pop affairs ( “Look, Wow”) and songs with more
complex structures (“Samurai Robot” and “Bella Simone”).

Six years on, HILOTRONS have found the magic combination.
Happymatic manages to bring together the danceability of their debut
and the complexity of their sophomore album to create their most
accessible and tightly-knit production to date. Hooky pop is abundant
(“Dominika,” “Lost in Yichang” and “Big Plans”), sweat is in the air
(“Streets of Science,” “Emergency Street”), and even a classic Ottawa
cover is thrown in for good measure (Kepler’s “I’m a Parade” gets a
Lynch-like cinematic treatment). Call it pop, new wave, or even dance
music—whatever you want—but if beads of sweat aren’t running down
your back by the end of Happymatic, then you probably aren’t breathing.

Kelp is proud to once again team up with our good friends Saved
by Vinyl, who offer Happymatic in LP format (white vinyl!!) which
includes a free MP3 download of the record.