Braids (band)

Braids
Braids performing at SXSW in 2013
Background information
Origin	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Genres	Indie rock, art rock, experimental rock, shoegaze, post-rock
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Flemish Eye (Canada) Kanine (United States) Full Time Hobby (UK) Arbutus Records (Canada)
Associated acts	Blue Hawaii, Jane Vain and the Dark Matter, Indiensoci
Website	braidsmusic.com
Members	Raphaelle Standell-Preston Austin Tufts Taylor Smith
Past members	Katie Lee Vince Man

Braids (usually stylized as BRAIDS) is an art rock band from Calgary, Alberta, currently based in Montreal, Quebec. Braids currently consists of Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith. The band (along with former members Katie Lee and Vince Man) met at a young age and began collaborating in high school. Their debut album, Native Speaker, was released on January 18, 2011 in Canada and the United States to generally positive reviews. The album was shortlisted for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. The band's second album, Flourish // Perish, was released on August 20, 2013. Their third, Deep in the Iris, was released on April 28, 2015, and was awarded the 2015 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.

Braids grew out of friendships in Calgary, where the band members were students at Western Canada High School. Standell-Preston recounted that it was a conversation over a blueberry muffin in the school's cafeteria that prompted the group's formation, under the name The Neighbourhood Council. Rehearsing in Smith's parents' garage, the band had early success backing lead vocalist Standell-Preston in a songwriting contest hosted by the Calgary Folk Music Festival. This led to an invitation to play at the inaugural Sled Island Music Festival in 2007. Following their performance at Sled Island, the band continued to collaborate and opted to postpone attending university to play music.

After a year of intensive rehearsal and the departure of Man, the band recorded their first EP, Set Pieces, at CJSW in April 2008. Following the EP's release in July 2008, the band returned to Sled Island to play an opening set for Deerhunter. Their performance was highly regarded by the audience, who gave the group a standing ovation after Deerhunter's Bradford Cox rose from his seat at the end of the group's set and requested that the band play an encore. This performance at Sled Island and the Set Pieces EP garnered more extensive attention for the band, including a notable mention from the music blog Stereogum.