Canadian rock band the High Dials combine a wealth of interesting styles from classic power pop and '60s mod to post-punk, folk, and psychedelia. Based around the creative partnership of singer/songwriter Trevor Anderson and guitarist Robbie MacArthur, the band's first taste of success came in the early 2000s on the heels of the garage revival, though they soon transcended that scene, staking their own turf with sonically diverse albums like 2005's War of the Wakening Phantoms and 2010's Anthems for Doomed Youth. With a fluctuating lineup surrounding its two core members, the band remained active and invigorated, finding some widespread exposure licensing songs to television while exploring new sounds on their the unique 2019 double release, Primitive Feelings, Pt. I and Pt. II.

Formed by Anderson and MacArthur in Montreal in 2003, the band grew out of Anderson's former project, the Datsons, who essentially changed their name after a New Zealand group using the same moniker became popular in North America. Viewing it as a chance to wipe the slate clean, Anderson and his bandmates released what was to be the High Dials' debut LP, 2003's A New Devotion, on the Rainbow Quartz label. Initially associated with the garage rock revival, the High Dials' first release had a distinctly retro '60s British mod sound that they have slowly distanced themselves from over the intervening years. Their acclaimed 2005 follow-up, War of the Wakening Phantoms, added elements of psychedelia, folk, power pop, and even shoegaze. They continued to tour extensively, evolving their sound and honing their songcraft with 2008's Moon Country and 2010's Anthems for Doomed Youth. All the while, the lineup continued to shift, always revolving around the creative core of Anderson and MacArthur. They worked with former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham in 2011 on a cover of "She Smiles Sweetly," and in 2014 two of their songs were featured on the hit Netflix series House of Cards. Following a period of inactivity, the High Dials reconvened as a trio with producer Marc Bell and recorded their fifth album, In the A.M. Wilds, which was released in early 2015. After touring the album, which included stops in Mexico and Colombia, the band endured another quiet period, resuming work in 2018 with the five-song Foreverish EP. Splitting their next project into two separate parts, the High Dials released the ambitious Primitive Feelings, Pt. I in June 2019, followed a few months later by its companion piece, Primitive Feelings, Pt. II. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi