Canadian quintet July Talk ignite gritty blues-rock with synth stabs and a fiery vocal interplay between singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay. Their tension is the backbone of July Talk: Dreimanis' ragged growl bleeds into the mike like Tom Waits-meets-Nathaniel Rateliff while Fay smooths the edges with her soulful soprano and ethereal sighs. The band formed in 2010 with bassist Josh Warburton, drummer Danny Miles, and original guitarist Eamon McGrath, who left shortly after the band's inception and was replaced by Ian Docherty. They released their self-titled debut in 2012 on Sleepless Records. As it gained traction, an extended re-release arrived the next year, with an American edition following in 2015. That year, July Talk won a Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. In 2016, they released sophomore effort Touch. Incorporating the sounds of bands like Silversun Pickups, Queens of the Stone Age, and the Kills, Touch included the hit single "Push + Pull" as well as "Beck + Call," which featured throat singer Tanya Tagaq. ~ Neil Z. Yeung