Stella Ella Ola's Big Day

It started, actually, the day before, with a big announcement. The Toronto indie poppers in Stella Ella Ola have released the release date for their debut full-length. It's gonna be called I Think We Should Hang Out All The Time and it'll be out on August 5 on Royal Mountain Records. (The same label as Hollerado — who share a couple of members with Stella Ella Ola — and PUP.) The cover is designed by the band's own Anne Douris. And the tracklist is exciting, too including a few tunes that have already been released in EP or single form (like "Summerette", "Hypersleep" and "Donna").

Then, on the Wednesday of NXNE, came the debut of their new music video. "Peter Sellers" is going to be the final track on the new album and the video is a ridiculous, cardboard-themed, time-travel beach party romp complete with monsters and a couple of familiar faces from the band's Royal Mountain label mates.

That very same night, they hit the stage at the Silver Dollar. The room was impressively full for a Wednesday night NXNE showcase. And as the band basted through their usual hook-happy pop rock, the crowd got a chance to know some of the newer songs from I Think We Should Hang Out All The Time. "Try Try Die" is super-catchy power-pop, while "Proud Mother Stomp"— a staple of their live shows — finds drummer Vince Rice on vocals, and earns its place in the proud tradition of off-beat, post-Ringo, percussionist-takes-the-mic tunes.

But the highlight of the night was still to come. From the Dollar, Stella Ella Ola headed to the tiny backroom of The Ossington for the Humblemania party to celebrate the Great Heart Music Festival (which kicked off in Trinity Bellwoods the next day). The room was sweaty, packed and intimate. And the set was even better than the one across town, with a couple of extra tunes thrown in, including an encore cover of The English Beat's "Mirror In The Bathroom."

A great way to end a great day.



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Photos by Carmen Cheung, the Arts Editor for The Little Red Umbrella.

Words by Adam Bunch, the Editor-in-Chief of the Little Red Umbrella and the creator of the Toronto Dreams Project. You can read his posts here, follow him on Twitter here, or email him at adam@littleredumbrella.com.