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It all started back in 2005, when Dan Boeckner, frontman of Canadian indie rockers Wolf Parade locked eyes at a telemarketing office in Montreal. That girl was short-story writer Alexei Perry.
Planning a romantic vacation around Scandinavia, the lovers had a flash of inspiration: why not form a band, and make a European tour out of it? It seemed perfect as Perry had musical training as a classical pianist. Boeckner got on the phone with his agent and booked the tour. The couple christened themselves Handsome Furs, the title of a short story Perry was working on at the time, banged out a set list of songs in a week’s time, and Perry performed live on synths for the first time ever in Oslo.
Now signed to Subpop — the iconic label that helped engineer the success of bands including Nirvana, CSS and Death Cab for Cutie – the Furs released their first album, Plague Park, in 2007, and followed it up with 2009’s Face Control. While the inspiration for Plague Park was taken from their travels through Scandinavia, Face Control draws heavily on their recent trip to Russia. The term “Face Control” refers to bouncers at Russian nightclubs turning customers away based on their physical appearance.