Sometimes, you go to a show and watch four musicians play music at the same time. And sometimes, you go to a show and watch a band really and truly gel, forming a homogenized sonic emulsification that completely exceeds the sum of its parts. It was a pleasure, then, to watch Toronto pop-rock outfit Ducks Ltd. as they showed off their prowess at Quai des brumes on Saturday night.
Tight doesn’t even begin to describe the cohesion of this jangly four-piece. It’s like watching a hive mind at work, four separate entities sharing a singular purpose: expertly crafted indie pop rock polished to a mirror sheen. The frenzied, often emotional tracks were imbued with a loveable levity by lead singer Tom McGreevy, who had no problem sharing his nervous excitement with the utterly packed room before him. But any hint of hesitation quickly melted away as soon as their first song hit, and was instead replaced by a feverish performance from all four members as they marched through their set. I’ve never seen a band work so hard while simultaneously making it look so easy, whether it was the rock-solid bass, irresistible drums, or sublime backup vocals from McGreevy’s founding counterpart Evan Lewis.
Contrary to what their name might imply, Ducks Ltd. has seemingly unlimited potential in this niche they’ve carved out for themselves, and I’ll be paying close attention to anything they do next.
