BAD FLIRT PLAY THU, OCT 9 AT TIGER BAR (414 COLLEGE, DOWNSTAIRS). $5. 9PM
WHO ARE THEY?
A Montreal-based indie pop outfit brimming with sugary melodies, dance-punk drive and failed romantic overtures. “Everyone in this band is really bad at dealing with the opposite sex and have really bad track records,” says lead singer/guitarist Jasamine White-Gluz.
BUBBLEGUM WITH BITE
While Bad Flirt’s sparkling sound falls somewhere between Metric and UK shoegazers Lush, the band’s MySpace cites a cavalcade of Reagan-era hardcore acts as their influences. “If we were able to play fast enough we would probably be a hardcore band,” reveals White-Gluz. “But we can’t play that fast, so we stick to pop stuff.”
THE OLSEN TOUCH
Last year, Bad Flirt garnered tween disciples after winning an online “Battle of the Bands” staged by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. They showered the band with attention, featuring them on their website and promising to book them a tour. But like tots tired of toying with the same dolls, the twins’ attention spans eventually wore thin.
“I guess when you’re rich and beautiful you can get bored of stuff fast…. They were, like, ‘Cool, let’s manage a band!’ And then they were, like, ‘Actually, no. We’re gonna go buy clothes that are really ugly and spend a lot of money at Starbucks.’”
THE VIRGIN YEARS
The co-ed quintet’s forthcoming debut full-length Virgin Talk was recorded with producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade) in Montreal. White-Gluz says the record was inspired by a popular 90s sitcom about the trials and tribulations of growing up. (She promises it’s not Full House.)
“I can’t say the actual [name of the] sitcom because I’m afraid we might get sued. But every song title is an episode from the show.”
NEXT STOP, THE MOON?
The band’s Wikipedia page reads: “Bad Flirt are working on a cross promotion campaign with NASA to make themselves the first band to play live in space.” White-Gluz says that it involves Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s airline which plans to provide suborbital space flights. “There’s something in the works that will be very, very big if it happens.”