Imagine palm trees, warm beaches and piña coladas year round. Imagine the best of vibes and the best of friends. Imagine juicy fruit and nonstop sunshine; imagine no bad days. This is the feeling Vancouver-based tropic pop group BESTiE hits us with, again and again.
Their infectious energy is compelling and uplifting, with each of their songs a bright burst of warmth more colourful than the last. BESTiE, who list “summer, ice cream, the beach, girls, floating down a river in an inner tube, high fives and heart break” as a few of their influences, have a warm, calypso-surf dream pop sound that catches the ear and the soul and brings you to a place of infinite joy.
After scoring third place in the 2013 Peak Performance Project, the boys have only continued to impress. Their self-released first album, No Bad Days, came out on April 22, and they are currently grinding through their first cross-Canada tour. If it’s any sign of the spirit of BESTiE, they made time to chat with The Peak following an overnight prairie drive, in between their first gig on live TV, first thing in the morning, and their (much-anticipated) breakfast.
The band consists of Tristan Orchard (lead vocals), Andrew Janczewski (guitar), Rob Cameron (bass), and Daniel Ruiz (percussion). The four besties met at the Vancouver dive bar Funky Winker Beans in 2009, at a night Tristan had put together called No More Strangers.
Their true collaboration, however, was birthed on a hot summer weekend at a jam space Tristan runs called Goodies. Tristan, Andrew and Rob stumbled into jamming together and were all really excited about the vibe that emerged, so they kept running with it. Daniel “found his way in” later, and the four of them have been seriously (but in a fun kind of way) creating their sound since 2012.
BESTiE’s diverse musical tapestry is characterized by the eclectic mix of the unique styles and influences of each member. Tristan has a DJ background and “likes eclectic mixes of sounds, and earnest pop music.” Andrew grew up listening to a lot of African music and early reggae and is, in Tristan’s words, “almost a historian.”
Then we have Rob, the “guru of indie rock,” and Daniel, a Columbian native who contributes his Latin-inspired drumming style. The overall BESTiE sound we hear is a smooth blend of these diverse and sounds that compliment each other perfectly: breezy, upbeat, happy, and outrageously fun.
Interestingly so, the popular categorization of BESTiE’s sound as ultra optimistic was unintentional on their end. In fact, Tristan was in a low place at the time of the band’s formation, as his other band was dissolving. The collaboration with new to-be besties was exactly what he needed.
“Getting back into making music with other people was really exciting, we love playing music together. It’s really the best thing, so that joy manifests itself into the songs.” They also credit their geographical setting for their bright, positive sound. Tristan explains, “Being from Vancouver, where it’s dark out most of the time, you have a special fixation with the sun and the short summer.” For BESTiE, “it’s all about the vibe — born out of the mood we are in.”
The resources and experience BESTiE gained through the Peak Performance Project encouraged the release of their debut album, which they had been working on throughout 2013 and up until March 2014. A highlight of the process for the group was working with producer Howard Redekopp (Tegan & Sara, Mother Mother, The Zolas), which “was great, and definitely made us a better band.”
If the idea of summer condensed into an endlessly re-livable half hour sounds appealing, BESTiE’s No Bad Days is definitely an album for you. What’s perhaps the most amazing part of the music BESTiE has created is that when you listen to it, you can truly hear and feel that hot summer weekend that inspired the whole thing years ago. These self-described “young men that like to steer towards the light” are practically magicians, evoking the powerful feeling of joy they experience in doing what they love, a joy that many of us yearn for all year.
BESTiE will perform at Fortune Sound Club on May 30. For more information, visit bbbestie.com.
