Therapists are expensive, but writing songs is free.
That’s why Daniel Busheikin started No Frills, a bedroom-pop project where he could use music to confront his assortment of neuroses. No Frills evolved from a solitary hobby to a full band featuring Maddy Wilde (keys, vocals), Jonathan Pappo (drums), Matt Buckerrough (guitar) and Mike Searle (bass). In the context of Toronto’s indie music scene, No Frills is a supergroup of sorts, sharing its members with bands like Born Ruffians, Ducks Ltd, Hooded Fang, Twist, Rapport, Lee Paradise and Grounders.
No Frills’ guitar pop is aptly straightforward, but saturated in colorful melodies that cast an ironic rosy glow on songs about depression, defeat and death. These may be bleak themes, but when imbued with Busheikin’s sardonic humor and wry self-awareness, the music is playful and inviting as it traces the whimsical desperation of someone trying to eke out a drip of optimism.
In 2018, No Frills released Nice to Meet You, an EP that Busheikin would sell at shows by way of download codes scrawled on the back of original drawings. (Busheikin brought movement to those weirdo sketches for the self-animated “Real Thing” music video)
Of course, those live shows would come to a halt by March 2020. With the band physically apart, Busheikin descended into his basement to write a full-length record that he would piece together over the following year.
This DIY recording approach was scrappy but successful. The result is No Frills’ debut LP Downward Dog, a collage of addictive jangle pop punctuated by tender balladry that brings to mind artists like Daniel Johnston, Pavement and R. Stevie Moore.
No Frills has supported acclaimed U.S. indie acts Chris Cohen and Jerry Paper, as well as local favourites including Kiwi Jr., Nyssa, and Ice Cream. They showcased at Pop Montreal 2019 and Sled Island 2022.
