Biography

By Divine Right features the psych-infused art-pop songwriting of singer / guitarist Jose Contreras. In the mid- to late-90s, Canada was experiencing an indie rock explosion. Long before the internet drew international attention northward to the likes of Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, a handful of Canadian bands were building an exciting sound – something altogether unique from the rest of the world. At the epicenter of this churning bubble was By Divine Right. Centred around Contreras’ psychedelic song writing, By Divine Right was one of Canada’s first indie rock collectives, its line-up ever evolving. Ranging between tight pop perfection and all-out noise hysteria, the band has included the talent of later musical crusaders such as Broken Social Scene‘s Brendan Canning and Feist, members of The Meligrove Band, and Holy Fuck‘s Brian Borcherdt. Since 2010, BDR's lineup has been a fan favourite trio consisting of Contreras, Alysha Haugen (bass/vocals) and Geordie Dynes (drums/vocals). This band, heard on 2013 album Organized Accident (Hand Drawn Dracula) and 2016’s track-for-track interpretation of Depeche Mode’s Speak & Spell (Headless Owl Records) as well as the upcoming 2022 double LP OTTO MOTTO (Fortune Stellar Records) is the longest-running lineup in BDR’s evolution. By Divine Right has been recognized with Polaris Prize and Juno nominations, but most notably the adoration of admiring music fans and the CanRock music elite alike.