Feb 24, 2023 By Mark Redfern

Welcome to the eighth Songs of the Week of 2023. Thanks in part to the Presidents Day holiday on Monday, the week was light on big album announcements, but there were still enough worthy songs to pick from. More

Feb 22, 2023 By Mark Redfern

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, is releasing a new solo album, Once Upon a Time In Montréal, on March 31 via Dangerbird. Now he has shared its second single, title track “Once Upon a Time In Montréal,” via a music video. The song features a rousing saxophone solo by Frank Lozano. More

Jan 19, 2023 By Mark Redfern

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montreal’s The Dears, has announced a new solo album, Once Upon a Time in Montreal, and shared its first single, “Dumpster Gold,” via a music video. More

Apr 21, 2021 By Mark Redfern

Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our new print issue, which is out now nationwide (on newsstands, in such stores as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, and elsewhere) and available to buy directly from us here. The issue features Japanese Breakfast and HAIM on the two covers and is another edition of The Protest Issue, which examines the intersection of music and politics and features musicians photographed with protest signs of their own making. More

Nov 18, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Montréal’s The Dears have shared a new holiday themed song, “Christmas Love,” via a video for it. They have also shared a cover of the Christmas standard “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” More

May 15, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Welcome to the nineteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. Not much has changed, except that more and more people seem to think it’s a good idea to get back to normal, but a return to anything close to the pre-pandemic society seems a long way off. More

May 15, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Montréal’s The Dears have released a new album, Lovers Rock, today via Dangerbird. Now that the album’s out you can stream the whole thing below. They have also shared a video for the album’s “Instant Nightmare!” The song features lead vocals from the band’s Natalia Yanchak. Alexandre Pelletier and Vince Hurtu directed the partially animated video. Watch it below. More

May 01, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Welcome to the seventeenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. Some states, most notably Georgia, are starting to open up again, even though most experts say it’s too soon. More

May 01, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Montréal’s The Dears are releasing a new album, Lovers Rock, on May 15 via Dangerbird. Now they have shared another song from the album, “I Know What You’re Thinking and It’s Awful,” via a video for the song. More

Apr 10, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Welcome to the fourteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. Our new normal of being under lockdown during COVID-19 continues. More

Apr 08, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Montréal’s The Dears are releasing a new album, Lovers Rock, on May 15 via Dangerbird. Now they have shared another song from the album, dramatic album opener “Heart of An Animal,” via a strange Sinbad Richardson-directed lyric video for the song. They have also announced some new tour dates, shows that were rescheduled due to COVID-19. More

Apr 06, 2020 By Mark Redfern

We are checking in with musicians during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic to see how they are dealing with everything. Here we check in with Murray A. Lightburn of Montreal, Canada’s The Dears. More

Mar 13, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Welcome to the tenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s been a scary week thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus, which meant the postponement of Coachella, Record Story Day, various movie releases, sporting events, and more, as well as school closings and a stock market crash. More

Mar 13, 2020 By Christopher Roberts

Montréal’s The Dears have announced a new album, Lovers Rock, and shared its first single, “The Worst of Us,” via a lyric video for the new song. They have also announced some new tour dates. More

Jun 14, 2019 By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, released a new solo album, Hear Me Out, back in February via Dangerbird. Now he has shared a video for the album’s “Changed My Ways.” Kevin Drew of fellow countrymen Broken Social Scene directed the video, which features Lightburn in different professional costumes. More

Apr 25, 2019 By Christopher Roberts

Sons of An Illustrious Father are a trio comprised of Josh Aubin, Lilah Larson, and acclaimed actor Ezra Miller. They self-released their last album, Deus Sex Machina: Or, Moving Slowly Beyond Nikola Tesla, back in June 2018. Now they have shared a new song, simply titled “Sons of An Illustrious Father.” It features string arrangements from Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears. More

Feb 22, 2019 By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, released a new solo album, Hear Me Out, today via Dangerbird. (You can stream it here.) Now he has shared a video for the album’s title track, “Hear Me Out.” The minimalist video features Lightburn singing the song in sunglasses and also him playing it on piano. More

Feb 22, 2019 By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, has released a new solo album, Hear Me Out, today via Dangerbird. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing here. More

Feb 19, 2019 By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, is releasing a new solo album, Hear Me Out, this Friday (February 22) via Dangerbird. Now he has shared another song from the album, “Fan Fiction (Ballad of a Genius).” More

Jan 24, 2019 By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, is releasing a new solo album, Hear Me Out, on February 22 via Dangerbird. Now he has shared another song from the album, “To the Top,” via a black & white video for the track. More

Dec 04, 2018 By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, is releasing a new solo album, Hear Me Out, on February 22, 2019 via Dangerbird. Previously he shared its first single, “Belleville Blues” (which we premieredand was one of our Songs of the Week). Now he has shared another song from the album, “Changed My Ways.” More

Nov 09, 2018 By Christopher Roberts

There might still be nearly two months left in 2018, but 2019 album announcements have been coming hard and fast of late. The Top 10 of this week’s Songs of the Week is packed with first and second singles from albums due out next January or February, although not our #1, that album is due out next week. More

Nov 08, 2018 By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, has announced a new solo album, Hear Me Out, and we’re pleased to premiere its first single, “Belleville Blues.” More

Sep 27, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

Montréal’s The Dears have announced some new U.S. tour dates for this fall. They are in support of their latest album, Times Infinity Volume Two. Check out the dates below, followed by various songs from the album. More

Jul 18, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our Summer 2017 Issue, which is out now digitally via Under the Radar’s app and the magazine app Readly. The print version has shipped out to subscribers and stores and will be on all newsstands soon (as well as available soon digitally via the magazine app Zinio). The issue features Grizzly Bear on the cover. More

Jul 14, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

If you support Under the Radar‘s Patreon page at the minimum contribution of at least $1.00 a month you get access to our Patreon-only feed featuring exclusive content only available to Patreon supporters. And our good friends The Dears have also donated a vinyl copy of their new album, Times Infinity Volume Two, to give away to one lucky Under the Radar Patreon supporter. More

Jun 26, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

When Montréal’s The Dears released their last album, 2015’s Times Infinity Volume One, the band promised that there would be a volume two (its title implied as much). Times Infinity Volume Two is due out July 14 via Dangerbird in the U.S. (and Paperbag in Canada). More

Jun 09, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

What a packed week for new songs and album announcements, enough to help you ignore all the James Comey/Donald Trump (but at least the Conservatives stumbled at the U.K. general election). More

Jun 05, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

When Montréal’s The Dears released their last album, 2015’s Times Infinity Volume One, the band promised that there would be a volume two (its title implied as much). Times Infinity Volume Two is due out July 14 via Dangerbird in the U.S. (and Paperbag in Canada). More

May 05, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

When Montréal’s The Dears released their last album, 2015’s Times Infinity Volume One, the band promised that there would be a volume two (its title implied as much). Now Times Infinity Volume Two has been announced and its first single, “Of Fisticuffs,” has been shared. More

Nov 13, 2015 By Christopher Roberts

Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of the November/December 2015 issue, which is available digitally now (via the magazine apps Zinio and Readly), has shipped out to subscribers and stores and will be on all newsstands soon. It will also soon be available digitally via Under the Radar‘s app, as well as Readbug and Kindle. The issue features EL VY (Matt Berninger of The National and Brent Knopf of Menomena and Ramona Falls) on the cover. More

Oct 22, 2015 By Christopher Roberts

The Dears released their new album, Times Infinity Volume One, late last month via Dangerbird. Now they have shared a lyric video for “Here’s to the Death of All the Romance” (the audio for which we had the pleasure of premiering). But it’s more than just lyrics against a boring backdrop, it’s really a full on video that incorporates the song’s lyrics. More

Aug 21, 2015 By Michael Wojtas

Montreal collective The Dears have shared “Here’s to the Death of All the Romance,” a surging new single that, like much of their best work, somehow manages to sound both restrained and melodramatic. More

Aug 07, 2015 By Christopher Roberts

As we previously reported, The Dears recently announced their new album, Times Infinity Volume One, which is out September 25 via Dangerbird. More

Jul 14, 2015 By Christopher Roberts

Under the Radar favorites The Dears have announced their new album and shared a song from it. The Montreal band’s new album, Times Infinity Volume One, has been teased for a while by the band, but now has an official release date of September 25 (it’s out via Dangerbird in the U.S.). More

Jul 15, 2013 By Mike Hilleary

While not exactly the flashiest choice of attire, The Dears’ Murray A. Lightburn has maintained a signature look over the years by wearing a black polo shirt wherever he goes. Soon to release his debut solo album MASS:LIGHT on Aug. 20, Lightburn has revealed that pre-orders of the record’s vinyl will come with the chance to win the very shirt off Murray’s back. More

Jul 12, 2013 By Mike Hilleary

Recently announcing the arrival of his debut solo album, MASS:LIGHT The Dears’ Murray A. Lightburn has shared the completed effort’s opening track “Motherfuckers.” More

May 30, 2013 By Laura Studarus

With his band currently working on a follow up to 2011’s Degeneration Street, The Dears frontman Murray Lightburn has taken the opportunity to release a solo album. More

Nov 27, 2012 By Mike Hilleary

Next month the Canadian Broadcasting Company will premiere a new documentary on the native sons and daughters making up The Dears. More

Dec 23, 2011 By Mark Redfern and Laura Studarus

Under the Radar‘s Best of 2011 Issue has shipped out to subscribers and will be hitting newsstands soon. The issue features three unique covers, each featuring an artist behind one of our Top 5 albums of the year: M83, The Horrors, and Bon Iver. The issue also takes a look back at other artists who have made a splash in 2011, including Beirut, Anna Calvi, EMA, Florence and the Machine, Gang Gang Dance, Neon Indian, PJ Harvey, R.E.M., SBTRKT, Slow Club, St. Vincent, Summer Camp, tUnE-yArDs, and Yuck. More

Nov 23, 2011 By Laura Studarus

The digital version of Under the Radar‘s 10th Anniversary Issue includes the same articles that appear in the printed version—plus 70 extra pages of editorial content not found in the print version, including extra full page photos, 13 bonus articles, and 11 bonus reviews. The digital version includes exclusive bonus articles on Arab Strap, Clinic, The Dears, The Delgados, DNTEL/The Postal Service, The Fiery Furnaces, Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes vs. Joanna Newsom, Mogwai, of Montreal, Okkervil River, Saint Etienne, Elliott Smith, and Sonic Youth. More

Oct 19, 2011 By Mark Redfern

Under the Radar is excited to announce the release of the indie music and entertainment print magazine’s 10th Anniversary Issue which hits newsstands next week. The extra-sized 10th Anniversary Issue features cover artists Joanna Newsom and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold together in an exclusive photo shoot and joint interview. Exclusive video taken during the cover shoot of Robin Pecknold and Joanna Newsom arm wrestling can be found here. More

Mar 21, 2011 By Wendy Lynch Redfern

Check out photos from the first of the Under the Radar SXSW 2011 Day Parties (sponsored by JanSport), including shots of Atlas Sound, The Dears, Lord Huron, Sondre Lerche, Yuck, The Dodos and Violens. Photos by Wendy Lynch Redfern. Check out the full gallery here. More

Feb 11, 2011 By Mark Redfern and Laura Studarus

Under the Radar’s Winter 2011 issue is about to hit stands. The cover features Death Cab for Cutie, who gave writer Matt Fink insight into the band’s forthcoming album, Codes and Keys (due out in May). The issue also includes interviews with Bright Eyes, British Sea Power, The Dears, The Decemberists, Destroyer, The Dodos, Duran Duran,Elbow, Iron and Wine, Lykke Li, R.E.M., Telekinesis, Toro Y Moi, The Antlers, The Big Pink, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Jens Lekman, Okkervil River, Panda Bear, Vivian Girls, Anna Calvi, Porcelain Raft, Smith Westerns, Yuck, and more.

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Feb 08, 2011 By Laura Studarus

After teasing out fans’ anticipation with a series of weekly webcasts, The Dears are final ready to show off their fifth studio full-length, Degeneration Street. We have the details. More

Dec 01, 2010 By Laura Studarus

Building anticipation for their forthcoming album Degeneration Street (out February 15, 2011 via Dangerbird) Canadian rockers The Dears released new song “Blood.” We have the track. More

Nov 23, 2010 By Lauren Barbato

Today, SXSW released a generous batch of bands that will be joining A Place to Bury Strangers, Asobi Seksu, Nite Jewel, and Erykah Badu, to name a few, in the numerous live venues of downtown Austin. More

Nov 22, 2010 By Laura Studarus

In anticipation of their new album Degeneration Street (out February 15, via Dangerbird), The Dears are taking to the web-hosted airwaves to host their own radio program. We have the details. More

Oct 26, 2010 By Mark Redfern

Montreal, Canada mainstays The Dears have released their new single, “Omega Dog,” available as a digital download for 99 cents here at the website of the band’s label, Dangerbird Records. You can also stream the song there. On The Dears’ website the band promises that “Omega Dog” is “utterly kick ass, you won’t even believe what you are hearing.” More

Sep 10, 2010 By Laura Studarus

Building up to the release of their yet-to-be-titled follow up to 2008 album Missles, The Dears recently released a live video of new song “Omega Dog,” recorded at their residency in Mexico City. We have the clip. More

Jul 22, 2010 By Laura Studarus

For much of 2009 and 2010 Canada’s The Dears have been hard at work on a follow-up to 2008’s Missiles. Now, with the new album near completion and slated for early 2011, the band is ready to road test material with residences in Montreal, Toronto, and Brooklyn. More

Apr 09, 2010 By Laura Studarus

Still hard at work on their follow-up to 2008’s Missiles, The Dears are heading south for a three-night residency in Mexico City. The shows will find The Dears premiering their untitled new album in full. More

Jul 14, 2009 By Michele Yamamoto

Playboy—that enterprise we all know and love—has announced the creation of a new video series for Playboy.com, which will feature artists covering their favorite artists. More

May 26, 2009 By Mark Redfern

Apr 30, 2009 By Laura Studarus

Last night, as The Dears prepared to embark on a six-week North American tour, the band’s tour bus was stolen. The vehicle disappeared from the parking lot of the 700 blvd St. Jean Pointe-Claire Comfort Inn as the driver slept in the hotel. More

Apr 06, 2020 By Mark Redfern

We are checking in with musicians during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic to see how they are dealing with everything. Here we check in with Murray A. Lightburn of Montreal, Canada’s The Dears. More

Sep 26, 2017 By Matt Conner

There’s a moment, midstream through “1998,” where you can hear Murray Lightburn’s heartbeat. “This is being alive,” The Dears’ frontman sings over and over on the central track on Times Infinity Volume Two. More

Mar 20, 2017 By Matt Fink

In 2001, when Under the Radar‘s first issue was released, the music industry had reached a transitional moment. In January, Apple introduced its iTunes program to the world, laying the groundwork to forever change how listeners interfaced with their music. More

Feb 09, 2017 By Christopher Roberts

For Under the Radar‘s 14th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2016. We asked them about their favorite albums of the year and their thoughts on various notable 2016 news stories involving either the music industry or world events, as well as some quirkier personal questions. More

Feb 17, 2016 By Mark Redfern

For Under the Radar’s 13th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2015. We asked them about their favorite albums of the year and their thoughts on various notable 2015 news stories involving either the music industry or world events, as well as some quirkier personal questions. Here are some answers from Murray Lightburn of The Dears. The Canadian band released their latest album, Times Infinity Volume One, in 2015 via Dangerbird. More

Jan 05, 2016 By Laura Studarus

Murray Lightburn is feeling philosophical. The Dears frontman apologies profusely for his conversational rabbit trails, crediting his meandering deep thoughts to the exhaustion of balancing album promotion and daily life as the father of two. But he’s also the first to acknowledge that his mental processes onstage and off mirror each other. More

Jan 30, 2015 By Mark Redfern

For Under the Radar’s 12th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2014. We asked them about their favorite albums of the year and their thoughts on various notable 2014 news stories involving either the music industry or world events, as well as some quirkier personal questions. More

Mar 22, 2010 By Frank Valish

Whatever the perception, as any parent will tell you, raising children is hard work, and for a working musician, balancing writing, recording, and touring with being a full-time mom or dad can be extra tricky. More

Nov 01, 2008 By Lorraine Carpenter

“Like all Dears records, there’s a grand theme,” says Murray Lightburn, referring to the feeling of being under threat, the underlying idea behind his band’s fourth album, Missiles. It’s a universal enough concept, in step with the record’s mid-paced marvels of melody, harmony, rhythm, and riffage, located at one of the more soulful intersections of pop and rock. Missiles may not seem a particularly fitting title for such romantically inclined music (“paced to love-making,” says the band’s blog), but melodrama remains at the core of The Dears’ oeuvre. More

Jul 01, 2006 By Matt Fink

“My glamorous lifestyle is catching up with me,” says Dears songwriter and vocalist Murray Lightburn from what he describes as a “fucking lame hotel” in Sydney, Australia. Though he’s a talkative and engaging man, two weeks of European promotional interviews for his band’s third full-length release, Gang of Losers, have left him with little excitement for explaining either his songwriting approaches, his thoughts on the Canadian scene, or the rationale behind stripping his band’s orchestral pop sound down to its bare elements. More

Mar 01, 2003 By Mark Redfern

Now that you’ve read our article on Montreal’s fabulous favorites The Dears, on page 18 of Issue 4 of Under the Radar, scroll below for more quotes from the band’s mastermind, (vocalist, songwriter, arranger, you name it), Murray Lightburn, and his main cohort, (and keyboardist/backing vocalist), Natalia Yanchak. More

Mar 25, 2011 By Mark Redfern

A recap of Under the Radar‘s Thursday SXSW party, which was presented by JanSport and featured performances by Violens, The Dodos, Yuck, Sondre Lerche, Lord Huron, The Dears, and Atlas Sound (Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox).

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Mar 02, 2011 By Frank Valish

The Dears’ last album, 2008’s Missiles, came at a fractious time in the band’s history. More

Oct 01, 2010 By Lorraine Carpenter

From topless men in tutus to a standout gig by one of the city’s best bands, the first day of Pop Montreal—slight on the programming front, as always, to ease festival goers into the fray—was visually and sonically stellar. Here’s a recap of day one, including The Dears performing their next album from start to finish. More