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Jan 31, 2022 By Caleb Campbell

Toronto outfit No Frills is the brainchild of musician Daniel Busheikin. Like many artists, the pandemic left Busheikin with plenty of free time, time that he channeled into exploring his songwriting. After debuting No Frills in 2018 with their EP, Nice to Meet You, Busheikin returned to the project in the early days of quarantine, recording demos for what would become their debut record, Downward Dogs.

Busheikin began by tracked drums and bass with Gavin Gardiner, frontman of Toronto folk outfit Wooden Sky. Armed with the stems from Gardiner’s garage studio sessions, Busheikin began recording the record piecemeal in his basement. Busheikin recruited an array of friends, collaborators, and familiar faces from the Toronto indie scene, including members of Hooded Fang, Twist, Rapport, and Grounders, his previous band. Together the band crafts offbeat lo-fi pop, pulling from indie rock, ‘50s balladry, and jangle pop for a set of deceptively playful reflections on depression, loss, and heartbreak.

The band already has shared their first few singles from the record, returning this year with their latest effort, “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Dog Anymore.” Today they’re back with their new single, “Copy Cat,” premiering early with Under the Radar.

“Copy Cat” sees bandmate Maddy Wilde take on lead vocals, offering a bright and airy vocal performance to match with the track’s breezy jangle pop melodies. Bubbling synth tones and wiry guitar interludes playfully guide the track off the beaten path, even while the sugary chorus lends the track an upbeat pop appeal. However, beneath the playful songwriting, the lyrics explore independence codependency, with the singer losing their identity as they imitate the object of their affection一“Everything I do I’ll do exactly / Like you do / I’ll be cut in two / You’ll put us both back together / Throw the other half out the window.” With “Copy Cat,” No Frills once again strikes a deft balance between fun and fear, concealing a dark emotional core with DIY pop delights.

As Maddy Wilde explains, “On the surface, these lyrics tell the story of someone fixated on a specific way of being they think is embodied in someone they idolize. To copy them and absorb them is the plan. But it’s also about codependency; getting someone close to you to sort of shape and define who you are. Trusting every one of their opinions to the extent that you lose sight of what you actually want.”

Check out the song below. Downward Dog is out everywhere in April of this year.