The music Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist Chris Minielly creates as Jaguar Sun arrives as a glowing trifecta of dream pop, rock, and folk. If you’re a lover of gently euphoric soundscapes lit by incandescent guitars and lush melodies—congratulations—his growing catalog of music will have you floating in a sea of songs replete with both. Joined by his live band, Minielly has revealed plans to take Jaguar Sun on a fall U.S. tour with JW Francis that will bring them to the Lodge Room in Los Angeles on October 31st.
Minielly first started releasing songs under the moniker of Jaguar Sun back in 2018—when a string of singles beginning with “That Night” acquainted listeners with the cavernous warmth that spills from his music. Where you might find yourself following winding medleys of twanging acoustics or chasing the afterglow of refulgent riffs that bob in a swell of electronic radiance.
The contours of his sound were shaped in Minielly’s post-high-school days, a period that found him filled with inspiration because of the artists/bands he was listening to, as well as his own burgeoning talents as a musician. After years of casually playing the piano, bass, banjo, and guitar, he had an epiphany regarding the barriers—like recording or producing his songs—that had kept him from really pursuing music.
“Bands like Youth Lagoon, Real Estate, early Coldplay, Fruit Bats, and many more were on repeat,” he told us via email. “Youth Lagoon especially inspired me with such a minimal approach to creating music, it really made me realize there was no reason I couldn’t take all these influences I love, get a little bit of gear, and start making music that I really want to hear. After years of trial and error and learning to produce and record I officially started Jaguar Sun and after the project caught some traction through songs shared on Youtube I quit my full time design job and dove right in.”
In 2020, he released his debut album This Empty Town, the collection’s hazily yearning opener “Red” evoking all the wistful urgency of José Gonzalez. All eight tracks on the LP traverse a spectrum of mesmerizing indie-pop, from languidly dreamy instrumentals (“Those Days”) to those that steadily rollick toward a rhapsody of driving energy (“Keep You Warm”). For his sophomore return All We’ve Ever Known, he leans into filling the spaciousness of his soundscapes with resounding, resplendent tones and textures that will leave fans of Goth Babe swooning.
Jaguar Sun’s newest EP For You sits somewhere in between those two records. Its title track echoes the meandering folk melodies of his first album—though imbued with a grander resonance—while songs like “Don’t Stress” and “This Is It” trudge purposefully forward guided by their buoying rhythms (not to mention a newfound rumbling rock vibrancy). All that sonorous emotion gives voice to a personal reckoning with those changes that push one outside their comfort zone. For Minielly, that includes touring.
“It’s something that I feel fairly new too still and it’s taken a lot to get used to it,” he explained. “I’m a bit of a homebody and an introvert at heart so getting out on the road for a month at a time can be pretty daunting but it’s also created some of the best moments of my life. I feel like this EP is a representation of the push and pull that comes with embracing new changes and the growth and struggle that those moments bring as well.”
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Yet just as he overcame the obstacles that initially prevented him from releasing his own music, Minielly as Jaguar Sun is pushing himself to keep getting up on that stage. Which in turn is really lucky on our part, as it means you’ll get a chance to let the stirring, paradisal waves of his music wash over you live. Don’t miss out when he kicks off his U.S. tour in the fall which includes a stop at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 31st.
Words: Steven Ward
Visit Jaguar Sun on their website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
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