"We formed in 2023, but Shawn and I have been friends for years," says Paul, vocalist of Iodine, a hardcore band from Toronto making its No Echo debut today. "We were just involved in other musical lanes. We wanted to lean into something harder than what we’d been working on separately before, as we both shared a taste for punk and hardcore.
"Shawn sent over some rough demos, and I was knocking out vocals pretty effortlessly. We knew we had something. We rounded out the group shortly after with our friends Jay on bass and Liam on drums. Shawn had worked with Jay previously, and I had worked with Liam, so it was pretty seamless."
In terms of Iodine's stylistic point of view, guitarist Shawn says:
"Our influences cover a vast range, as you can hear in our sound. Some bands that come to mind from an instrumental perspective are Bent Life, Mindforce, and old AFI. These bands all put out killer records that really inspire me to write tunes. Paul’s influences on this record vocally definitely vibe with Rage Against the Machine, Gravediggaz, and Incendiary."
The release Shawn is referencing is Forever Cursed, a 5-song EP Iodine just released a couple of weeks ago:
"Forever Cursed was the final addition to the two-part EP series that began in 2023," adds Paul. "We figured we’d test the waters with five songs and then hit everyone with another five the following year. I think with the way things are moving, it’s better to drop music more frequently than to disappear and expect people to still be waiting when you have gap years."
Iodine will be releasing a vinyl LP comprised of both EPs in the near future, as well live shows being booked for early 2025. Speaking of which, how is the Toronto scene going at the moment? Shawn gives No Echo some insight: "Our local scene is in Toronto, and it’s thriving right now! But we consider Canada as one big scene since we all support each other.
"Bands like Home Front from Edmonton are killing it right now and are currently writing a new record. End Game has been crushing it—shout out to Spicy Spence, who has supported us since day one! Rust from Ontario is touring the UK right now, and you should definitely go support them if they’re playing near you!"
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Iodine on social media: Instagram
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