A Name to Live Up to
Mozart’s Sister’s New Sound on the Scene
“Oh she’s good! She’s gonna be huge,” said Victor Bongiovanni of Booty Bakery to me once over some pretty mediocre coffee. He was excitedly talking about Caila Thompson-Hannant, the person behind Mozart’s Sister.
Her stuff is lively, dancey and although extremely fresh is sometimes reminiscent of the new romantics two decades ago. Thompson-Hannant is from Victoria, BC and has lived in Montreal for about five years.
“It’s two completely different things” she answered. “I mean, Victoria has some good stuff but it’s always the same people at the same shows, it’s kind of small.” When it came to Montreal she had one thing to say. “I love it! I fucking love it!”
We laughed for a bit about how that’s what all musicians who live in the city talk about it. She’s no stranger to the ins and outs of Montreal music. Throughout her years she’s been involved in Shapes and Sizes, Miracle Fortress and Think About Life.
After having returned from her first show as a solo act in SXSW and playing alongside Grimes and Born Gold at Cabaret du Mile End a couple of weeks ago, Caila is ready for another show—this time on April 20 alongside UN, Country and $ad Hava at Cabaret Playhouse.
So what does Mozart’s Sister do now that she’s done touring?
“I’m focusing on recording” she said. All of her stuff is self-produced and recorded at home. That being said, Caila is in the process of moving and will therefore have to figure something out in that awkward time between one apartment and the other. “I fucking love the Mile-End,” she said with a laugh.
Mozart’s Sister is currently unsigned but that has not prevented her from getting attention from press around the world. Lucy Jones of London’s The Telegraph had this to say about her after her performance in Austin, “[Mozart’s Sister] had a mesmerising stage presence, high quality song-writing and an ethereal, other-wordly sound and she reminds me of a sci-fi Kate Bush.”
The best way to know what she’s up to is to go see her “mesmerising” qualities for yourself. This show is a perfect start to what will surely be a great summer for music in Montreal.
Mozart’s Sister (with UN, Country and $ad Hava) / April 20 / Cabaret Playhouse (5656 Parc Ave.) more info
