Hands & Teeth, a Toronto-based experimental pop group, demonstrate what can be created when friends unite through a love of complex harmonies and fine food.

What began as a series of casual dinner parties with colourful soundtracks quickly blossomed into an invigorating, full-time musical project. Each of the band’s five members takes an active role in all elements of production – from composition to lead vocals to engineering. Four of them even reside together in a live-in studio in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. This highly collaborative atmosphere is what brings Hands & Teeth’s artful fusion of pop, classical composition, angular guitar rock, lush vocal arrangements and inventive rhythms to life. Their songs tastefully sweep from whisper-quiet ballads to roaring anthems – a pitch-perfect reflection of each member’s eclectic musical past, rich on-stage presence, and unparalleled dedication to the creative process.

It’s been just over a year since Hands & Teeth’s inception and their efforts have already garnered a flurry of interest and attention. In the last 14 months they have headlined shows from London to Montreal, were invited to play a private island music festival in Eastern Ontario, had an early single (“Hunting Season”) appear in a McDonald’s online ad campaign, received airplay on CBC Radio 2, CBC Radio 3 and BBC 6, and charted at several Canadian college radio stations.

In October 2010, Hands & Teeth released their debut EP, Enjoy Your Lifestyle, with a nearly sold-out show at Toronto’s El Mocambo and an ever-expanding list of glowing critical reviews. Enjoy Your Lifestyle was mixed by Laurence Currie (Sloan, Wintersleep), mastered by Noah Mintz (Broken Social Scene, Los Campesinos!) and features guest vocals from Lisa Lobsinger.

Hands & Teeth's momentum continues to build in 2011. The band started the year off with several well-attended Canadian Music Week performances, then moved on to play three times at NXNE 2011, including a “high-calibre show” (Little Red Umbrella) at Sneaky Dee's, and most recently at POP Montreal 2011. Earlier in the year, they filmed several videos including an intimate acoustic performance with Southern Souls, a haunting rendition of Rainbows and Unicorns at the Toro Magazine studios, and an energetic performance filmed at Chalet Studios near Pickering. Hands & Teeth's sophomore album, Hunting Season, is slated for release winter 2012.