summer bruises
Jesse McWilliams - Bass/ vocals
Aaron Smelski - Guitar
Craig Clorey - Drums
Elyse Szabo - Keys/Guitar/Vocals
SUMMER BRUISES are a Calgary based band that combine indie rock flair and dream pop melodies with an aggressive edge. Made up of former members of iconic and beloved Calgary bands Hot Little Rocket, High Parade, Committee of Public Safety, Edmonton’s Nature Of, as well as Nova Scotia’s The Mean, Summer Bruises features the extraordinary vocal and writing talents of Elyse Szabo. The band’s layered sound has earned comparisons to Beach House, St. Vincent, Wye Oak, Daughter and Timbre Timbre.
Formed in February 2020, members found a silver lining in the COVID pandemic and subsequent quarantines, taking creative sanctuary amidst the isolation. The results are an original, atmospheric sound complemented by wistful, reflective verse.
Summer Bruises’ recorded their sophomore album, 'Out of Body' in July of 2024 at OCL Studio with engineer Trent Dolsen, and producer Lorrie Matheson. They are gearing up for its release in the winter of 2025. 'Out of Body' is a cold, dark, but danceable bleed-out, and it doesn't pull any punches. The songs explore themes of abusive relationships, escaping them, the loneliness of loss, living with the mistakes we make, and the desire to heal. The album has less of a political tone than the tender 'Light to Waste', their debut album, and feels more like a late-night, candid and impassioned conversation with someone who has just seen the light for the first time after spending years trapped in a dark room.
Press
"Summer Bruises released Light to Waste in late May. Produced by Lorrie Matheson, it's one of those rare debuts that sounds both fresh and youthful but also clearly benefits from the combined experience of its members."
- Eric Volmers from Calgary Herald
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"A galvanization of Cocteau Twins’ airy vocals, Ride’s washed out guitars, and the general effervescence of the premiere groups that straddling subgenres like dream-pop or shoegaze (Beach House, Mazzy Star, etc.), Light To Waste has the feel of anthemic works twice its length. It’s an accomplished debut, sounding fully formed from its first washed-out note to its last, with notably more punch to it than what you would normally find with any of the aforementioned acts. While so many of their peers turned inwards during the darkest of times, Summer Bruises opted to find and face the sun. For that, and for Light To Waste, they should be applauded."
- Thomas Johnson from Range
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"Recorded with noted local knob-twiddler Lorrie Matheson, it’s a cool, shimmering, pool of dream-pop prettiness recalling acts such as Slowdive, Low, Beach House and nouveau shoegazers such Wolf Alice.
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Purposefully vague lyrically — certainly “not embarrassing or super angsty” — the album is a pretty bold opening statement.
The four-piece bring life to Szabo and Smelski’s songs comfortably, confidently, with her voice a shining star in the aural universe they’ve created from scratch in the past two years — with more soon to come."
Mike Bell from YYSCene
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"'Waste Of Time' is the kind of warm, catchy, uplifting track that'll help keep your head up in times of doubt."
- Earshot
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