The Birthday Massacre

Formed from the Toronto-based band Imagica (1999–2002), The Birthday Massacre borrowed their name from the title of one of their songs, primarily to avoid confusion with another band of the same name. Led by vocalist Sara “Chibi” Taylor, the lineup includes Michael Rainbow and Michael Falcore (guitar, programming), Owen Mackinder (keyboards), Brett Carruthers (bass), and Philipp Elliott (drums). The band draws heavily on their art school training, both in their carefully stylized image and songwriting influences. Despite little mainstream attention and airplay, the band has a fiercely loyal following. Without the support of a record label to promote their esoteric brand of art school electronic pop, the band turned to crowdfunding in 2013 to finance their recording projects. Their 2014 album Superstition was successfully launched in this way, supported by tours across North America, Brazil, Europe, and the UK. An eleven-track compilation album, Imagica, released in 2016, used the same fan-based funding source. Having moved from early industrial rock to synthpop and darkwave, The Birthday Massacre then continued with the albums Under Your Spell (2017) and Diamonds (2020). Returning after the Covid-19 pandemic, the revamped lineup released their ninth album, Fascination, in 2022, followed three years later by Pathways.