It is almost as if TOPS’ 2017 luxurious long-play Sugar at the Gate gave that year something it was missing. An album that, from a technical standpoint, is as clean as a whistle while maintaining a nonuniform sound that can sometimes be lost with perfectionist mix engineers. Our only hope is for the same provocative, punchy product from I Feel Alive, which will serve as TOPS fourth album when it arrives on April 3, 2020.
TOPS released a two-song 7” single late last year featuring “Seven Minutes” and “Echo of Dawn” to coincide with the announcement of Musique TOPS, the band’s own independent label. The pair of singles will boost TOPS' catalog as a bonus for fans, however, they will not land on I Feel Alive, similar to 2015's single "The Hollow Sound of the Morning Chimes."
Montreal's fashionable four-piece proceeded to drop the title track "I Feel Alive," for their upcoming eleven-song LP — a short, groovy song that is as intimate as it is dance-worthy led by Jane Penny’s vocals that cut to your core like a steak knife through butter.
As Penny shouts "I feel alive" over and over again, it becomes a little easier to breathe — just like everything is going to be alright. Songwriting, which has always been a strength for TOPS, is once again at the forefront. Catchy, dreamy rhythm guitar licks dance in and out complimenting the bass and drums which hold down the piece fantastically which will be the second track on the album.
Tracklist:
- Direct Sunlight
- I Feel Alive
- Pirouette
- Ballads & Sad Movies
- Colder & Closer
- Witching Hour
- Take Down
- Drowning in Paradise
- OK Fine Whatever
- Looking to Remember
- Too Much
A notable change to the band’s structure was the addition of keyboardist Marta Cikojevic which frees up Penny to experiment a bit more than past projects. Recorded in a Montreal basement studio, TOPS would try writing and working through a song all day then demo the song that same evening. The goal was to get in a room together and play, not holding anything back," says Penny.
Over 26 shows, TOPS will promote I Feel Alive across North America serving as a wake-up call to never lose sight of who you are and what is important.
