Bishop Morocco is the musical vision of James Sayce and Jake Fairly. The Toronto-based duo recorded its 2008 self-titled debut at a homemade studio inside their shared in Groningen, Netherlands, earning international attention from the likes of Parisian tastemaker Collette and helping develop a strong following at home in Canada. Two years later, Bishop Morocco arrives on Arts & Crafts with Old Boys, a six-track EP on which the band strays from its original new wave influences towards a thicker, more contemplative sound, aided by the addition of Ian Worang on guitar and Jon McCann on drums.
BISHOP MOROCCO‘s sound references Americana as much as Brit-pop. Their influences range from Roy Orbison and Angelo Badalamenti to the Smiths and New Order. The result is somewhere between the soundtrack to Twin Peaks and the Madchester sound. Dark but full of hope, their music is a reflection of their shared youth within the west-central neighborhoods of Toronto, juxtaposed against the history and cultural wasteland of small-town Europe. The product of their time in the Netherlands is their self-titled debut album released via Hand Drawn Dracula.
