Hailing from Calgary in Canada, Braids consist of Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Katie Lee, Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith. Meeting at  a tender age in high school, their self produced EP "Set Pieces" was released in 2008, with their debut album "Native Speaker"  out in January earlier this year, recieving critical acclaim internationally.

Fleeting vocals and a dotted percussive alignment have them sitting firmly in the comparative grasps of Animal Collective and 19 strong army Broken Social Scene. Although to merely box them off as experimental folk rock would be a mistake.

Each track they deliver delves into a sea of exploration, creating a dreamlike sound scape to which they increasingly add mythical repetitions, climaxing to heady frenzied explosions albeit perfectly preempted and arranged.

With all members being in their late teens and early twenties, Braids already have us fooled into thinking their sound has been polished through years of rigorous practise, when the reality is they are as fresh as their faces suggest.