Canadian Alt/Indie

Amos the Transparent is a Canadian rock band from Ottawa, Ontario, who have released three full length albums and a number of EPs on 45 Records, Pop Culture Records and Sunday School Music.

Their debut album, Everything I've Forgotten to Forget, was released on Pop Culture Records in 2007, and an EP, My What Big Teeth You Have followed in 2009 on Sunday School Music. Their second full length album, Goodnight My Dear...I'm Falling Apart, was released in February 2012. It was preceded in 2011 by two separate EPs, Goodnight My Dear and I'm Falling Apart, which each previewed four songs that would appear on the full album. Their third full length album was titled "This Cold Escape" and is a "loosely biographical" concept album.

Said the Whale is a Juno Award-winning Vancouver based indie rock band started by Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft in 2007.

Imaginary Cities was a Canadian indie pop duo based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The project consisted of multi-instrumentalist Rusty Matyas, formerly of The Waking Eyes and a sometime collaborator of The Weakerthans, and vocalist Marti Sarbit.

Matyas and Sarbit began collaborating in 2010. That year, they played a few live shows and began to record tracks for an album. In 2011, they continued performing, at first serving as the opening band for more established groups.

Their debut album, Temporary Resident, was released in 2011 on the Hidden Pony label; it went on to top Canada's campus radio charts. That year, the band won a Western Canada Music Award for Best Pop Album of the Year and was subsequently named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. To support the album, they played several dates in Eastern Canada and the US as an opening act for Pixies.

Young Rival is a Canadian indie rock band from Hamilton, Ontario. It consists of singer-guitarist Aron D'Alesio, bassist John Smith, and drummer Noah Fralick.

Paper Lions is a Canadian indie rock band, formed and based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They have toured around Canada, and have released several albums, including 2016's Full Colour.

Rich Aucoin is a Canadian indie rock musician, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the younger brother of Paul Aucoin of Hylozoists. He performs and records both as a solo artist and as a collaborator and guest musician in Hylozoists.

Aucoin released his first EP, Personal Publication, in 2007. The album was designed as an alternative soundtrack to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He supported the release by undertaking a cross-Canada tour traveled entirely by bicycle, to raise money for Childhood Cancer Canada; when that tour was completed, he went on another tour with Hylozoists, but subsequently faced a health crisis when his sudden shift from regular exercise during the bicycle tour to virtually no exercise at all during the Hylozoists tour triggered an iron deficiency. After recuperating, he undertook another solo tour, running partial marathons between stops to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Winter Gloves is a Canadian indie rock music group from Montreal. The band consists of Charles F. on vocals, Wurlitzer, organ, Vincent Chalifour on synth bass and keyboards, Patrick Sayers on drums and Nico Ormiston on guitars.

Winter Gloves formed in 2008 in Montreal after Charles F recorded a number of synthpop songs as a break from the guitar rock he had been performing. He posted these on his Myspace page, and after receiving positive feedback organized a band to perform them.

Their first release, the EP Let Me Drive, was initially distributed solely by throwing copies into the audience at their live shows, but was later released on Paper Bag Records and iTunes, where the title track was featured as a Single of the Week.

Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist and guitarist Paul Murphy, guitarist and keyboardist Tim d'Eon, and drummer Loel Campbell. In 2002, Jud Haynes joined the band as bass guitarist until 2007. In 2005, Mike Bigelow joined on keyboards until 2006, after which he played bass, until 2016. Since 2006, Jon Samuel has served as a backing vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist, while Chris Bell has served as a backing vocalist and bass guitarist since 2016. Bigelow returned to the band in 2021. In 2005, Wintersleep opened for Pearl Jam for two shows in St. John's, Newfoundland at the Mile One Stadium. The band received a Juno Award in 2008. To date, Wintersleep have released seven studio albums.

The Dudes are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1996 in Calgary, Alberta. Dan Vacon is The Dudes' major creative force in the band. The group also includes guitarist Bob Quaschnick, bassist Brock Geiger and newest member Matt Doherty on drums replacing Scott Ross.

Critics have likened their musical style to Modest Mouse, although band members cite their influences as The Flaming Lips, The Descendents, Joel Plaskett, Thrush Hermit and Weezer.

The Dudes gained popularity in Calgary both for their lo-fi approach to recording and releasing albums and for their live stage-show. On their album, Brain Heart Guitar, they worked with Calgary producer Russ Broom, and released the album in 2006 on the LoadMusic record label.

Wildlife are a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2005. The band is currently based in Toronto, Ontario. The band's debut LP Strike Hard, Young Diamond was favourably received by both Exclaim! and Chart.

Band members Dean Povinsky, Graham Plant and Dwayne Christie are originally from Oshawa, Ontario. Wildlife began as an entity in 2005, when singer/guitarist Povinsky and guitarist Darryl Smith left Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and moved to Glasgow to form and play in a band. The group, also comprising Scottish drummer Peter Kelly and Canadian Billy Holmes, spent time travelling, writing songs, recording and playing small venues around Glasgow. The dark days, rain, and a general homesickness led the members to abandon the project and return to Canada.

The Rural Alberta Advantage is a Canadian indie rock band that formed in 2005 in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Nils Edenloff on lead vocals and guitar, Amy Cole on keyboards, bass, and backing vocals, and Paul Banwatt on drums. They have released four albums and are signed to Paper Bag Records in Canada and Saddle Creek Records internationally. In 2011, they were nominated for a Polaris Music Prize.

Yukon Blonde is a Canadian indie rock band originally from Kelowna, British Columbia. The band has been based in Vancouver since 2009.

The Danks are a Canadian indie rock band from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, founded by Brohan Moore and Alec O'Hanley. The current lineup includes lead vocalist Brohan Moore, O'Hanley on guitar and keyboards, Brian Murphy on bass, and drummer Phil MacIsaac. Chris Doiron originally played bass guitar, but was replaced by Andrew MacDonald.

The band released the EP Samples on Collagen Rock Records in 2008. Music critic John Sakamoto of the Toronto Star described their sound as "a compelling tug of war between wanting to dance and feeling that there's something else you're supposed to be doing."

Their full-length debut, Are You Afraid of the Danks? was released on June 30, 2009. Giving the album its highest rating, Chart described it as "non-stop, hook-laden revelry from start to finish." Fast Forward Weekly, in its review, wrote, "The Danks are straight-up power pop at heart and there’s simply no denying their power."

Hey Ocean! is a Canadian indie alternative rock and synthpop band formed in 2004 in Vancouver. David Beckingham and Ashleigh Ball had been friends since grade 6, joining with David Vertesi in the 2000s to form the band. The band consists of Ashleigh Ball (vocals/flute), David Beckingham (vocals/guitar), and David Vertesi (vocals/bass). Their music draws from many genres, including pop and acoustic, and the group tours Canada widely. They have performed locally alongside other Vancouver acts such as Shad K, Mother Mother and Said the Whale.

Hey Rosetta! is a Canadian seven-piece indie rock band from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and led by singer/songwriter Tim Baker. Known for their energized live shows, the band created a large, layered sound by incorporating piano, violin, cello, and brass into the traditional four-piece rock setup. On October 13, 2017, the group announced via a lengthy Facebook post that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus.

The origin of the band's name is inspired from the Rosetta Stone which was a stele written in three languages: Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Demotic and Ancient Greek.

In 2005, Baker had returned to St. John's from his travels across Canada and the U.S. with a head full of songs that he had written on acoustic guitar and piano. Soon realizing that the material he had written should sound bigger and required more elements, he brought together a band of St. John’s musicians, with Adam Hogan on electric guitar, Josh Ward on bass, and Dave Lane on drums. After a few rehearsals, the band added cello and violin players and arranged their first show, choosing the name Hey Rosetta! (thought to be a reference or calling to the rosetta stone).

Library Voices are a Canadian indie pop band from Regina, Saskatchewan. Formed in 2008 as a ten-piece group of musician friends, they have released two EPs and three full-length albums. The current band members include Paul Gutheil, Ethan Anderson, Michael Dawson, Carl Johnson, Brennan Ross, Amanda Scandrett and Mike Thievin.

We Are The City was a Canadian progressive rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia and formed in 2008 in Kelowna, British Columbia. The last known line-up included singer-keyboardist Cayne McKenzie, drummer Andrew Huculiak, and guitarist David Menzel. Their musical style is often referred to as prog rock. The name "We Are The City" is inspired by Matthew 5:14 from the Bible, ""Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid."" Georgia Straight, a British Columbia newspaper, described the group not necessarily as a Christian band, but as a band composed of Christians.

The band composed the score for the critically acclaimed film Violent, which was based on their album of the same name.

Lotus Child was a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The band members were notable figures in the Canadian music scene after the release of their second record "Gossip Diet" in 2006. Zachary Gray, the singer/guitarist and Tom Dobrzanski, the keyboardist/producer/singer were the founding members of Lotus Child, but the group’s increased popularity came with the addition of Peter Carruthers on bass and Miles Bruce on drums.

Zachary Gray and Tom Dobrzanski have been collaborating since they were teenagers in the British Columbia Boys' Choir. Gray and Dobrzanski were inspired by artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Jeff Buckley, Jason Priestley, and Muse. In 2003 Gray and Dobrazanski joined Shaun Connery, Karl Von Beckmann, and Bradley Dean and started performing in local Vancouver venues. They released their first record – a self-titled EP in 2004, and continued to play local sell-outs at venues such as: the Mesa Luna Nightclub, The Backstage Lounge, and The Media Club. Audience reaction was very positive, and Lotus Child became a popular part of the Vancouver indie scene that began to spread across Canada. Lotus Child had a rearranging of band members, and so with the addition of Carruthers and Bruce to the original duo the band began working on their second album.