Materializing onstage like phantoms of the 2010s Tumblr age, Quebec City-based emogaze group Worry certainly looks the part. Black band tees, corsets, fishnets, and centre-parts as far as the eye can see, each member looking over the fast-filling space with a touch of gloom on their faces. At the centre, songwriter and vocalist Kerry Samuels, hunched over their mic with their bangs in their eyes.
Bringing together the vast textures of shoegaze and the intimate specificity of emo rock, Worry has found a small part of the Venn diagram to call their own. Their grungy, slightly melodramatic sound has a knowing, nostalgic element, just enough to harken back to days of first cigarettes and American Apparel knee socks. The music remains approachable and honest, though, never overstaying its welcome on any particular influence.
Samuels’ voice is clean, controlled, and powerful, sounding even more studio-ready when they’re joined by co-vocalist l i l a (a.k.a. Marianne Poirier). Together, they form the Platonic ideal of a shoegaze vocal, the perfect blend of whininess and sincere expression to grab onto as the expansive instrumental churns around us.
The band is exceptionally well-rehearsed, making sure the constant barrage of jangly guitars and embodied drums doesn’t turn to mud. Half beat pauses and stutters feel effortless and inevitable. Pop-adjacent song structures mean you always know when the next heavy breakdown or climactic vocal is coming. Each track is a rollercoaster—you see what’s up ahead, but you can’t deny the fun of the ride.
