Purveyors of: Jangle pop, sardonic wit, budget therapy
File next to: Ducks Ltd., Alvvays, The Magnetic Fields
Appearing: No Frills Sad Clown album release + Martian Crisis Unit + Elrichman: Wavelength, April 25, 2025 @ St. Anne’s Parish (651 Dufferin Street)
More Info Here
Toronto’s No Frills specializes in sad songs that sound deceptively sweet. Led by Daniel Busheikin and backed by a who’s who of Toronto’s indie scene, the group’s new album Sad Clown introduces string arrangements and some exciting guest appearances to their signature blend of darkly funny self-reflection and homespun jangle-pop. Wavelength’s Kyle Sikorski spoke with No Frills about their new album, imperfections, and scoring the imaginary film of their dreams.
WL: Sad Clown seems like a very collaborative effort with contributions from Eliza Niemi, Chris Shannon and Nate Vanderwielen (of BART), to name a few. How has collaborating with different artists shaped the sound and energy of the project, and was there a particular collaboration on this album that took a song in an unexpected direction?
To me Sad Clown sounds more expansive than our previous album, Downward Dog, because of all the additional outside performances and ideas. Chris played a huge role not just in shaping the sound of Sad Clown but in making me feel confident about my ideas and preferences, for which I am very grateful. There weren’t many unexpected directions, though the song “Never Enough” didn’t have string parts planned initially. When I knew we were bringing in a string quartet for “Open Book” and “Under the Gun,” I hastily wrote an arrangement for “Never Enough” to take advantage of their time. It came out sounding beautiful and really dials up the emotional resonance of that song.
WL: There’s a very intentional rawness to your recordings, how do you decide what imperfections to keep, and what to refine?
When mixing it’s pretty easy to sense when an imperfection has some emotional resonance, or when it just makes the song feel sloppier. Like, the sound of my mouth opening before singing a line isn’t a sound that anybody wants to hear. The album has more distortion overall, often from things being recorded too loud, which gives it a scrappy vibe that I really love.
WL: Your music references classic pop songwriting from bands like The Beatles, The Zombies, and The Monkees. What do you think makes that era’s approach to melody and structure so enduring?
These were still the early years of multi-track recording, so the production has an honesty and tactility that really appeals to me. And I think pop music of that era has a glow of simplicity and optimism that doesn’t exist anymore. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”? Perfect song.
WL: You’ve described Sad Clown as a response to the dissonance between performing as an entertainer and writing songs about depression, how has stepping into the role of a performer changed the way you approach songwriting?
It definitely became more of a theme in my songwriting. Performing is a fairly uncomfortable experience for me, and as we were playing more shows in support of our previous album I became fixated on the multiple layers of performance that take place both on and off the stage. Like, I am performing the actual music, but also performing as the idea of the person that others are perceiving. There are a lot of references to that in Sad Clown.
WL: This album introduces string arrangements for the first time in No Frills’ music. What drew you to incorporating orchestral elements, and what was it like writing for a string quartet?
It was really fun and I’m really glad I took that on! I initially didn’t even really know what a string quartet was until Paul Erlichman, aka Elrichman [ed. note: who is also opening the Sad Clown release show at WL April 25], helped me understand the basics and encouraged me that I didn’t need to know proper arrangement theory to write the parts. Strings expand the record’s emotional palette, and the process helped me stretch my songwriting capabilities in a way that I found very rewarding.
WL: Between jamming at 500 Keele and layering sounds in your basement, what was the most unexpected sound or moment that ended up making it onto the record?
In the final song, “The End,” I’m playing piano and sitting on a very creaky bench. I didn’t notice all the creaks until listening to the recording, I did re-record the song creak-free, but it didn’t feel as good. The creaks have a tension and sense of something nearly breaking that I found important. At the end of the song I drop the piano keyboard cover down, making a loud bang, which wasn’t planned but seemed like the right thing to do during the take. I love that as the final moment of the album though.
WL: Your music balances often bleak themes with playful melodies and always a sense of silliness. Do you find humour to be a coping mechanism, or is it just a natural extension of your songwriting style?
Humour is how I cope and deflect. It provides a certain comfort for me. And making music can be really funny, which is part of why it’s so important to me. Many of my best memories involve laughing with friends with music as the conduit.
WL: If you could score a film (any film, real or even imaginary) with No Frills music, what would it be and why?
I haven’t watched I Heart Huckabees in ages BUT I feel like that could be very No Frills! I feel like people don’t like that movie but it was kind of formative for me.
In the circus-like world we are living in, No Frills brings us some much-needed levity with their satirical sophomore album “Sad Clown”. Fellow Toronto guests Martian Crisis Unit and Elrichman share their lyrical sense of humour and theatrical approach to performing.
Showcasing Toronto’s vibrant comedy scene, live music will be interspersed by pop-up stand-up sets by local jesters: Wavelength Campfire Comedy alum and Indie88 Morning Show host Jackie Pirico, CTV’s “Children Ruin Everything” writer and improv devotee Bita Joudaki, and “Canada’s Drag Race” writer and stand-up comedian Heather Mariko.
Friday, April 25, 2025
@ St. Anne’s Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin Street, Toronto
Doors 8pm
$15 advance plus taxes and fees at DICE.FM
Tickets: bit.ly/WLsadclown
All ages + Licensed