THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “RetroSpectacle is a retrospective, career spanning set filled with hand-picked, fan-favorite, and long-buried treasures of heartworn-sleeve power, pop, personified (and compiled for the first time) by Dany Laj and The Looks.
Songwriter Laj (Lajeunesse), born and bred in Kirkland Lake, a rural gold-mining camp six hours north of Toronto, is no stranger to being a small-town kid growing up in a secluded northern town. Having toured the country and playing any stage he can find, Laj is now in the position to work out his own musical vision, and so far the results have been very exciting.
Laj’s heartfelt songs seamlessly meld together elements of rock, folk, and country, without straying too far from the power-pop roots that give the tunes a certain joie de vivre, with nods to tunesmiths like Nick Lowe and Paul Westerberg. The narrative weaved together by Laj’s powerful yet unpretentious lyrics tells the tale of the Northern Ontario kid trying to find his way south, ultimately to Montreal, by way of Sudbury, North Bay, Toronto, and everywhere in between, with stories of finding love, cross-country tours, and broken-down vehicles, but ultimately retaining a strong sense of humour and hope which lies within memorably catchy hooks and intertwining harmonies between Laj and bassist Jeanette Dowling.
Dowling and drummer Dusty Campbell are The Looks, Laj’s crack rhythm section, who provide a rock-solid foundation and perfect complement to Laj’s quirky pop sensibilities. Dany Laj and the Looks are an unstoppable force just waiting to win your heart.”
