Imagine, if you will, through some confluence of space-time distortion that the Arcade Fire’s Win Butler were to stumble into London’s Eden Studios in late 1978 and seize the mic from Elvis Costello during the recording of Armed Forces. Throw in some leakage from the Talking Heads recording next door (remember – space-time distortion) and you’ve got my best elevator pitch for Happymatic, the new record from Ottawa’s HILOTRONS. Stylistically rangy but setting up home base around taut, new wave pop but Mike Dubue’s strangled, anguished vocals give the proceedings an anxious edge as though he’s imploring you to dance – dance for your life.

JAM compares broken caps lock keys with the HILOTRONS, who are on tour through Ontario and Quebec this month and play the Horseshoe on April 10 with Sunparlour Players and Andy Swan.

Courtesy of Kelp records, I have one prize pack to give away consisting a copy of Happymatic on CD, a limited-edition silkscreen tour poster by Leia Bell, a couple of passes to any show on the tour, various HILOTRONS buttons and stickers and a copy of the Most Career Hits Kelp records compilation. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to take a ride in the Happymatic” in the subject line and your full mailing address along with which show on the tour you’d like to go to in the body. Contest closes at midnight, Monday April 7. (The night before the tour begins).

MP3: HILOTRONS – “Dominika”
MP3: HILOTRONS – “Emergency Street”
Stream: HILOTRONS / Happymatic
MySpace: HILOTRONS

Comprised of a set of east coast emigres to Los Angeles (including Toronto native Laura Jordan), The Billionaires’ debut is a by-the-numbers set of sunshiney power pop. Replete with co-ed harmonies, boisterous shoutalong choruses, hand claps, jangled guitars and burbled synths, it’s like the soundtrack of a poolside party gone late into the night… Unfortunately, it’s also the sort of party to which you wake up the next morning unsure of where you were, who you met or what they said, save that they were drunk and yelling in your ear. Sweet, but ultimately empty calories.

MP3: The Billionaires – “The End Of Summer Song”
MP3: The Billionaires – “Eighties Movies”
Video: The Billionaires – “Eighties Movies”
MySpace: The Billionaires