Giveaway: The Dears at the Parish [Meet & Greet With the Band Tonight]

Ah, those delicate, dark and dreamy Canadian musical collectives! We can’t get enough of their atmospheric intricacies. The Dears, like their literal and sonic compatriots Broken Social Scene, have in the past seemed like a band in the loose sense of the term. Currently touring are only two of the original seven members of the Dears, husband and wife Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak, who have gracefully turned what could easily have been end of the band into a new seven-piece ensemble on a new label (Dangerbird) with a consistently lovely and graciously accomplished album, Missiles.

The Dears were at the forefront of the Canadian indie music renaissance of the late '90s, and Missiles proves they’ve maintained the charisma that makes the dark pop scene they shaped irresistible. A subtler offering than previous albums, Missiles is clear-eyed and sober, deftly employing maturity even while asserting the earnestness that makes the Dears so engaging.

Lightburn’s vocals drip melancholy—earning him comparisons to Morrissey—and it’s this earnestness that buoys them up and keeps them from feeling leaden. He’s become known for intensely engaging live performances, which is easy to believe considering even on the album his voice gives us the impression of direct eye contact.

Orchestral outfits like the Dears are always best experienced live, and we’re giving away tickets to tonight’s show at the Parish. There will be two winners of two tickets apiece and a happy hour with the Dears. Los Angeles electro-rockers Great Northern and power pop act Eulogies will open. So enter your contact information below to win!