Gizmo

Gizmo formed in Charlottetown in 2021. The band is Julien Kitson, Patrick Stephen, Spencer Swaine, and Daniel Hartinger. They are inspired by ‘70s power-pop, ‘80s college rock, and the ‘90s American slacker bands and their East Coast Canadian contemporaries. Think Guided by Voices, Silver Jews, Pavement, Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, Superfriendz, Thrush Hermit, and REM. They all share some kind of responsibility for Gizmo’s catchy sound. I hear faint traces of The Pursuit of Happiness, and regardless of their influences, they breathe new life into these vintage sounds and styles. 

The debut four-song EP, Buddy System, was released in August 2023. It was a glimpse of a band with endless promise. From there, they signed a publishing deal with CYMBA Music Publishing and between 2022 and 2025, they never stopped writing and refining new material. The songs came together in rehearsal and found their place in their frenetic live shows. Where the first EP was predominantly written by Julien, the new songs were born collectively. 

Early on, they toured and put some time in on the road and as a result, their fanbase developed. Not that long ago, they joined Wintersleep for their show at the legendary East Coast venue, Shore Club in Hubbards, Nova Scotia. Deservedly, they have been riding some highs and they’ve carried it all into their new album.  

In February 2025, they set up at The Hall in Great Village, Nova Scotia with Alex Edkins (METZ, Weird Nightmare) and Loel Campbell (Wintersleep). They spent eight very full days working on a new album. They slept at the studio and dedicated themselves to the process of making something great.  The ten tracks are structurally ambitious, power-pop songs with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. It’s very impressive how they’ve worked so many hooks and earworms in there in such a confident and finessed way. Edkins and Campbell produced, engineered, and mixed the record, while Greg Obis (Stuck, Clearance) at Chicago Mastering Service provided the finishing touches.

The lyrics on the record take a stream-of-consciousness, observational approach to themes of heartache and coming of age, all topped off by a whip-smart deployment of non sequiturs, inside jokes, and Maritime colloquialisms. While they aren’t entirely sure when this album will come out, they are hoping it will be sometime in the first half of 2026. They are excited to release this record, however, they plan to take their time and try to attract business partners for elevated results.  While we wait, they’ll be on the road playing more shows. 

On October 1, they’ll begin a nine-show tour that will take them through Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Brantford, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Dartmouth, and finishing at Sportsman’s in Charlottetown on October 11. Their stops in Toronto and Dartmouth are both part of new music festivals, Project Nowhere (TO) and Nowadays Fest (NS). 

Keep your eyes and ears open for Gizmo.