The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock group from Vancouver, Canada, active since 1997. Their music sits in indie rock and indie pop, with power pop and pop also listed among their styles. The group is associated with Collected Works.

Formation and sound

Formed in Vancouver, the band develops a sound influenced by power pop acts such as The Cars and Cheap Trick, but with more complex rhythms and chord changes. The name is commonly linked to a pamphlet by televangelist Jimmy Swaggart condemning rock and roll, but Carl Newman says he takes it from the title of Shohei Imamura’s film The Pornographers (1966).

Albums and releases

The New Pornographers build a long album run that includes Mass Romantic (2000), Electric Version (2003), Twin Cinema (2005), Challengers (2007), Together (2010), Brill Bruisers (2014), Whiteout Conditions (2017), In the Morse Code of Brake Lights (2019) and Continue as a Guest.

Members

The group’s members include Daniel Bejar, Blaine Thurier, Neko Case, John Collins, A.C. Newman, Kurt Dahle, Todd Fancey, Kathryn Calder and Joe Seiders. The bio also identifies Carl Newman as A.C. Newman, and lists roles across the band including vocals, guitar, synthesizer, piano, bass, drums, percussion and other instruments. It also notes former member Kurt Dahle and former drummer Joe Seiders, who joins the band in 2014.

Line-up notes

Other musicians associated with the band include Nora O’Connor on backing vocals and percussion, and Adam Schatz on saxophone and synthesizer. Former musicians listed include Dan Bejar, Fisher Rose and Simi Stone.