Biography

Sonic Avenues are a Montreal-based rock band whose music combines the aggressive energy of punk rock with the hooky jubilance of power pop and the melodic smarts of indie rock. Sonic Avenues were formed by vocalist and guitarist Max Desharnais when he was sharing a house with three roommates. Desharnais and his housemates liked to throw parties, and he kept a drum kit and amps in his basement room for impromptu beer-fueled jams. A regular guest to the house was Jamie Desjardins, who played bass, and eventually their late-night guitar bashing turned into songwriting sessions. After coming up with a few tunes of their own, Desharnais and Desjardins decided it was time to form a band; they brought in drummer JC Niquet and guitarist Seb Godin in 2006, and Sonic Avenues were born. Inspired by '60s garage and freakbeat bands (the Litter, the Kinks, the Zombies, and the Who) and first-generation punk (the Buzzcocks, the Real Kids, the Adverts, and the Pointed Sticks), Sonic Avenues soon made a name for themselves on the Montreal music scene, and in 2007 they partnered with the local indie label Going Gaga to release their self-titled debut album. After extensive touring in Canada, the United States, and Europe, Sonic Avenues hooked up with the noted American punk label Dirtnap Records to release their second full-length, Television Youth. Not long after Sonic Avenues completed work on Television Youth, Jamie Desjardins left the band, and they recruited bassist Chance Hutchison to take his place. After winning greater critical acclaim in North America, Sonic Avenues returned in 2014 with their third album, Mistakes. Sporting the same lineup for the recording of their next album, the group decamped to Adrian Popovich's Mountain City studio and Desharnais' own Sound Salvation Studios. The resulting Disconnector, which was released by Dirtnap in late 2016, added new instruments and textures to the band's punk-pop sound. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi