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CJLO program director Cam talked with John Watson, Vic Byers, and Simon Kou of Gloin about their love of live music, their new album All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry) which drops March 28th, and their upcoming trip to SXSW. 

If you are in Montreal, you can catch their album release show on May 2nd at La Toscadura.

Listen to CJLO's live coverage of SXSW at 1pm EST on March 12th, 13th, and 14th.

Sunday, March 2nd offered Montreal’s Petit Campus a break from their usual shoulder-to-shoulder, hectic crowd. LA-born singer Neriah stopped into the venue while on her first-ever headline tour, The Unfinished Business Tour, and was met by an intimate gathering of fans. 

The 25-year-old pop singer-songwriter supported Madison Beer on the West Coast portion of her Spinnin Tour last year and has since been on a speedy trajectory. The young star has been recognized by some of her acclaimed inspirations in the industry, such as SZA and Ashe. With the release of 3 complete studio albums and a basket full of singles, Neriah has grown a loyal following over the last four years, a handful of which attended her March 2nd show. 

At first glance, the venue’s emptiness emits an unsettling quiet. It was almost as if there was an unspoken understanding that yes, on this frigid, Sunday evening, there was a lack of brave soldiers who’d make it to the performance. It was unfortunate that the setting had not filled up to its potential, however, the intimacy of this event gave fans a truly personal musical experience.  

Jordyn Sugar, a 21-year-old Torontonian artist, opened the show with what she describes as her “empowered pop” style. Audience members swayed along to Sugars’ performance however there was a clear lack of connection listeners held to her sound. While unfamiliarity often sparks newfound musical interests, Sugars’ set unfortunately did not spark such engrossment. The singer played her original music which held a more youthful tone in comparison to the later maturity of Neriah’s set. By such standards, Sugars’ songs were not suitable for the age group of the audience and therefore dwindled the energy of audience reception.   

Thankfully, it was not long before the star of the night opened her set with the album How Do I Get Clean’s opening track, “Unfinished Business”. Listeners were immediately giddy with excitement as energy rose, lights flickered and Neriah’s vocals stunned. With charismatic charm, the singer introduced herself to the tightly-knit scene and slowly, the venue began to feel plentiful. During her hit, “rbf”, standing for, “Resting B**ch Face”, fans pushed against the stage, screaming into the singer's Microphone as she graciously held it towards them. After the song ended, Neriah commented, “You’d think there’s 500 people in here!”

The pop vocalists’ performance of her 2024 single, “Driving Weather”, sparked a unity of energetic dance moves. The beauty of the set came from the diversity in the crowd: composed of a few middle-aged folks and starstruck fan-girls, both banded together to show off their dance moves. In her sparkly high-heeled boots, Neriah reached all sides of the stage, twirling around and effortlessly belted the tracks’ catchy chorus. 

The singer sparked an eruption of hoots and hollers as she played an unreleased song, “Neapolitan Complex”. The singer introduced the track as one she’d written about a past partner, and began to showcase her vocal range with its first verse. Comically, less than a minute after starting the song, Neriah abruptly cut herself off as she realized a fan was screaming the lyrics that were supposedly unpublished, back at her.

This wasn't the only surprise Neriah received from the audience on Sunday evening. The fan-projects for the quaint event were endless. Her avid supporters, which Neriah has named The Noodles, creatively expressed their admiration during the show. From a dozen little red paper flags being raised high as the singer performed her hit “Red Flags”, to pastel-coloured balloons thrown at the singer mid-set, there was a clear connection between the stage and floor. These thoughtful acts truly illuminated the fact that those in the room who had attended the show were some of the singers’ most dedicated followers. As Neriah crouched down to sing to her audience near and dearly, the common hierarchy between artist and fan was eradicated. 
Had it been a busy Friday night, those who trekked through the snowy side streets surrounding Petit Campus would have not been blessed with their private concert with Neriah. You know what they say, quality over quantity when it comes to friends!

It is so refreshing to receive a new recording by a rock band in 2025 that is neither in the post-punk vein nor dripping with shoe-gaze reverb. That is not to say that either of those genres or the bands continuing to carry the torch are bad, it is just nice to hear something swimming upstream every now and then. Othello Tunnels could care less about musical trends and of-the-moment fads, and that is why they are a band to keep an eye on. Their style-blending sound - part glam, part psychedelic rock, a sprinkling of indie-pop and a whole lot of futuristic space blues - may just be the foreshadowing of what the next fad is. Someone’s got to get the ball rolling or turn the corner for another movement, right? 

Formerly known as Linus Haze, a solo project originally created to bring to life the music of singer/guitarist Linus Heyes, until drummer Jophiel Paquet-Marsolais and bassist Gabriel Payeur came along. 

“I knew within the first five minutes of us practicing, this was it,” said Heyes. 

“It just came about naturally,” said Paquet-Marsolais. “Even now that’s what it is. Each session we practice the songs that we have, but we evolve them and something new comes from that.” 

“We never try to force it,” said Payeur. “It’s crazy to me how much we are linked subconsciously. We’re gonna end the same part at the same time without even looking at each other, and that’s chemistry, you know. That’s why I like playing music with these guys.” 

It was easy to see that this was no longer a solo project, it had suddenly forged into a fully formed band. Realizing this, Heyes convinced the other two for a name change. Thus Othello Tunnels was born. 

“It’s a rebranding of something new, that we are all creating together,” said Heyes. “As opposed to what it was before when I was writing everything and bringing it to the guys and saying ‘Hey this is what we're gonna play.’ I want all of us to feel that it is our band equally.” 

“That’s what I love about us, there is never any ‘We have to do this’ or ‘We have to do that’ it just comes about, and it’s been like that since the beginning,” said Paquet-Marsolais. 

The name Othello Tunnels is taken from a series of decommissioned train tunnels through the Cascades mountain range in British Columbia, that are now part of the Coquihalla Canyon Trail system. 

“It’s a park in BC, which I visited many, many times growing up as a kid and it always holds a certain place in my heart,” said Heyes. “In the next few years we’re all gonna go there, so we can all experience what it’s like.” 

As the growing bond between bandmates evolved into a brotherhood, the music continued to flow out of all three. With this new cross-pollination to the songwriting, they knew they had to get these first songs out into the world.

“It’s all flowing in together,” said Heyes. “I want to write new stuff and I’m privileged to write it with these guys. We write it together and I’m happy with how it is sounding.” 

Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Othello Tunnels live will tell you that the four songs on Tunnel Rock are merely scratching at the surface of what this band has to offer, but it is the perfect place to start. 

“Easy 2 Love” gets things going and in just over four minutes will have all listeners swooning with the ethereal beauty of this guitar-driven ballad. Think of it as Heyes’ way to get you a slow dance with whoever you brought to the show. 

“Highway” comes next with its hypnotic desert blues riffs and yearning for freedom. There is a long line, stretching back through the annals of rock and roll, that connects this song with the hazy bliss found in songs like Jimi Hendrix’s “Stone Free”, J.J. Cale’s lost masterpiece “Durango” or Kelley Stoltz’s “Put That In Your Pipe”. You can almost see the shimmering distortion waves rising from the road ahead of you. 

“Tomorrows Time” with its shuffling rhythm section underneath Heyes’ soaring, psychedelic guitar work, might be the best example of what this early incarnation of Othello Tunnels is - a futuristic blues band, with one foot covered in the mud of the Delta Blues and one foot floating in space. 

“White Roses”, the debut single that came out last year, is a glittering indie pop song, which rounds out the EP and shows a little more of what is possible from this three-piece. At the 1:47 mark, Heyes jumps into a solo that shows just how talented he is playing his guitar, without ever getting overbearing or obnoxious with it. The line, “I can’t help falling in love with you,” just might be a little foreshadowing for the listeners, who might not be able to keep themselves from falling for this band. 

This might be where there should be a disclaimer made to protect the band from any litigation down the road, brought on by some unintentioned broken hearts. If you are planning to bring your significant other to bear witness to this exciting new power trio, be forewarned that before strutting his stuff on stage with his guitar, Heyes spent a few years strutting up and down the runway as a much in-demand model. It does not matter what your partner’s orientation is either, they are gonna notice those cheekbones. 

Superficialities aside, Othello Tunnels is ready to take flight, and it would do you some good to get on board.

Listen to Othello Tunnels debut single, "White Roses", here

On February 20, 2025, CJLO's longtime radio consultant Mike Mathieu passed away at the age of 78. Mike was a colourful and well-known figure in radio, lending his services to many community radio stations across the province. His unbridled passion for the medium set him apart and his loyalty and dedication to CJLO (and its predecessors) over 30 years of our history was critically important to the station we built together and our successful transition to the public airwaves. Mike was indelibly connected to the wider radio community and he will be missed by many. CJLO is deeply grateful to Mike for his many years of commitment to our success and sends our condolences to the family and friends he left behind.