Substance. Sincerity. Swagger. Reverb. All are abundant throughout the nine tracks comprising Desire’s Despair (Pipe & Hat, 2012), the debut full-length from indie rock outfit, Mise en Scene.

That record – produced by the team of Howard Redekopp (Tegan & Sara), Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire), and Tony Berg (Beck) – charted for 16 weeks on the !earshot Top 50 national charts in Canada, received a 2014 Sirius XM Indies Award nomination, and landed the band coveted spots performing around the world including at the esteemed Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona and downtown Paris to over 15,000 people.

Now preparing for their forthcoming sophomore album, the founding duo of Stefanie Blondal Johnson (vocals, guitar), and Jodi Dunlop (drums), have added new friends Corey Hykawy (bass) and Dave Gagnon (guitar) to the fold in time for their return to SXSW.