Absolutely Free (band)

Lore & Background

Absolutely Free formed in 2011 after the breakup of their prior band, DD/MM/YYYY. The band released their debut EP UFO/Glass Tassel in 2012, followed by On The Beach/Clothed Woman, Sitting EP the next year, as limited-run 12" records. By 2014, guitarist Jordan Holmes had left the band; that year, Absolutely Free released their debut full-length album Absolutely Free. with Arts & Crafts in Canada, and Lefse Records in all other territories. The band performed throughout North America opening for Canadian band Alvvays, and in Europe with Preoccupations. The album was a long-listed nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. The band's song My Dim Age has been used as the theme music for the CBC Radio Show Out In The Open since 2016. In 2019, the song Currency was used in episode 2 of The CW television series Batwoman.

Reader's Guide

Absolutely Free is significant for their integration of media projects with traditional music performance. In 2013, they developed a site-specific sound installation, On The Beach, on Toronto Island as part of the Camp Wavelength festival, and created a theatre performance for Summerworks Festival where they performed one-minute songs to a single person at a time. In 2014, they debuted their self-titled album as part of a live event at Bloor Cinema in Toronto by projecting holograms of themselves performing live at a concert in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2015, they were commissioned to re-score Norman McLaren NFB short films performed live as part of TIFF. In 2016, they scored music for the feature independent film Two Cares, Due None and the short film Ape Sodom. Their legacy includes a Polaris Prize nomination and ongoing use of their music in broadcast media.

Did You Know?

• Absolutely Free formed in 2011 after the breakup of their prior band, DD/MM/YYYY.
• Their debut album was a long-listed nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.
• The song My Dim Age has been the theme music for CBC Radio Show Out In The Open since 2016.