Black Dresses were a Canadian noise pop duo consisting of Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, formed in 2017.[2][3] Their debut album, Wasteisolation, was released independently in 2018. The duo released three additional albums, Thank You (2019), Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches (2019), and Peaceful as Hell (2020), before breaking up in 2020 in response to harassment received by McCallion. Despite maintaining their declaration of disbandment in 2020, Black Dresses released three additional albums, Forever in Your Heart (2021), Forget Your Own Face (2022), and Laughingfish (2024). Upon releasing Laughingfish, the band announced that it would be their final album.[4][5][6]
Black Dresses | |
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| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1] |
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History
2018-2019: Wasteisolation, Thank You, and Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches
Black Dresses was formed in 2017 by self-taught musicians Ada Rook and Devi McCallion after Rook sent McCallion a beat on Twitter.[7] They released their first single, a cover of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes", in December 2017.[8]
The duo released their debut album, Wasteisolation, in April 2018.[9] The album was created entirely through online collaboration, with McCallion based in Toronto and Rook in Vancouver.[10] Wasteisolation received positive coverage by Noisey,[11] Stereogum[12] and The Fader who called it "a raw, abrasive, and deliriously catchy album about surviving as trans women in an antagonistic world."[10] This was followed shortly by the EP HELL IS REAL, released in October of the same year.[13] The EP featured in Stereogum's Best EPs of 2018 list,[14] with the duo also featuring in the publication's list of best new artists.[15]
In February 2019, Black Dresses released their second studio album, Thank You.[16] In May, they released Dreams Come True 2019, a remix EP consisting of new versions of several Wasteisolation tracks.[17] The band released their third studio album, Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches in August 2019.[18] The album was reviewed positively, with Pitchfork's Colin Joyce awarding an album a rating of 7.7,[3] and Noisey including the record on its "22 Best Albums You May Have Missed in 2019" list.[19]
2020: Peaceful as Hell and initial disbandment
In March 2020, a full-length animated video for the Wasteisolation track "Nausea" was released. On 13 April 2020, the second anniversary of Wasteisolation's release, Black Dresses released their fourth LP, Peaceful as Hell.[20] The album received a rating of 7.6 from Pitchfork, with Leah Mandel stating, "Especially with the world's hellishness currently blaring at us, every social disparity spotlighted and exacerbated, loneliness and doubt deepened to an extreme degree, Peaceful as Hell is perfect medicine".[2]
The duo announced via Twitter on May 26, 2020, that Black Dresses would be disbanding, citing the harassment received by McCallion as the reason.[21] The band's music was also temporarily taken off streaming services.[22] in July 2020, after the duo disbanded, a remix of 100 gecs song, "745 Sticky", was released on the remix album 1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues. On December 20, 2020, a new single titled "World Peace" featuring ESPer99 was announced on Twitter,[23] which was recorded in 2019. The single was released the next day on December 21, 2020.[24][25] McCallion and Rook also continued to release solo music, with McCallion using the alias Girls Rituals and Rook using her real name.[10]
2021-2022: Forever in Your Heart and Forget Your Own Face
On February 14, 2021, the duo released their fifth studio album, Forever in Your Heart, announcing it 30 minutes prior to its release. Despite the release, the group stated "We're no longer a band unfortunately. Regardless, we've decided to keep putting out music."[26] Ten days later, Backxwash announced the tracklist for her album I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses, which was to feature Rook and McCallion on separate tracks,[27] although after tracklist changes McCallion did not appear on the album.
In August 2021, Black Dresses' music returned to streaming services.[28] In December 2021, Black Dresses appeared on the holiday compilation album Christmasasaurus X2 with their version of the song "We Are Children of the Light" by Eugene O'Reilley.[29][30]
On February 14, 2022, the duo released their sixth studio album, Forget Your Own Face, exactly one year after their previous album released, to overall positive reception.[31] Hannah Jocelyn on Pitchfork stated: "For a band that often writes about internalized shame and self-loathing, the resentment at the heart of this record feels more outwardly pointed."[32] On September 30, 2022, the duo released a cover of the Scene Queen track "Pink Panther".[33] An announcement was posted on their Twitter for their cover of "Kill All Your Friends",[34] which was released the same day on October 17, 2022.[35]
2023-2024: Laughingfish and final disbandment
On May 3, 2023, Black Dresses posted an announcement for a new single titled "Gutz" featuring Rirugiliyangugili.[36] The music video for the song was released the next day on May 4, 2023.[37] That August, they collaborated with Canadian Electro-pop band Purity Ring for their single "Shines".[38] They released a remix of "Got Damn Star" by So Drove on September 29, 2023, which features Kevin Jz Prodigy, Kornbread Jeté, and Yung Onyx.[39]
The duo released their seventh studio album, Laughingfish, on May 20, 2024. Upon release, they announced that it would be their final album.[4][5][6]
Band members and solo work
Ada Rook
Rook releases music under her own name, as well as her side project Crisis Sigil.[40] She is also a member of the duo Rook & Nomie in addition to Black Dresses.[41] In 2022, she released an album titled Ugly Death No Redemption Angel Curse I Love You, featuring ESPer99.[42] The album includes samples of the 2007 anime Ice.[43] Rook and Ash Nerve created a duo group, Angel Electronics in 2022, releasing a nine song EP, Ultra Paradise, in 2023.[44]
Devi McCallion
McCallion has released music online since at least 2006, under her own name as well as several different aliases. She released her first album 1998 under the alias Eat Babies in 2006, and released Meow in 2011.[45][46][47][48]
As Mom, she has released five studio albums, four of which are numbered self-titled releases.[49]
As Girls Rituals, she has released six projects: Reddishness (2015), New Nowhere (2016), Emergency! (2017), I'm Desperate (2018), Crap Shit (2020),[50] and Cow (2021).[51] Under Girls Rituals, she also released a single entitled "Black Cloud" in 2017, for which she later released a compilation project featuring seven remixes of the song by various other artists titled Black Cloud 2021 (2021). McCallion also has two albums under the alias Cats Millionaire: Fun Fun Fun (2013), and I'm So Sorry (2012). She also created two collaboration albums with Katie Dey: Some New Form of Life (2018), and Magic Fire Brain (2020).
She has been a member of several side projects over the years, including the Various Endeavors?[52] She co-produced most of the band's music from 2007 to 2010. She is also a member of Anarchy 99[53] with So Drove. Anarchy 99 has released one studio album, Rockstar Super Heat (2021).
Discography
Albums
- Wasteisolation (2018)
- Thank You (2019)
- Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches (2019)
- Peaceful as Hell (2020)
- Forever in Your Heart (2021)
- Forget Your Own Face (2022)
- Laughingfish (2024)
EPs
- Lethal Poison for the System (2017) (with 99jakes and Laura Les, remixes of Paper Planes by M.I.A.)[8]
- Hell Is Real (2018)
- Dreams Come True 2019 (2019)
Singles
As lead artist
- "Crush" (Tessa Violet cover)
- "World Peace" (featuring ESPer99)
- "We Are Children of the Light"
- "Pink Panther" (Scene Queen cover)
- "Kill All Your Friends" (My Chemical Romance cover)
- "Gutz" (featuring Rirugiliyangugili)
- "BAD VEGGIES"
As featured artist
- "Shines" (Purity Ring featuring Black Dresses)