Bella

by Jason Lymangrover
Vancouver indie pop trio Bella consists of Cameron Fraser, Tiffany Garrett Sotomayor, and Charla McCucheon swapping instruments and trading off their lead singer duties in an accessible style of music that could be classified as retro-danceable shoegaze-pop, if such a genre existed. The songs are crafted with simple drum machine beats, clean guitars, Casios, and boy/girl harmonies (or girl/boy harmonies, depending on which member takes center stage) in an electro-clash of airy vocals and peppy pop arrangements. With the help of producer Colin Stewart (Hot Hot Heat, Black Mountain), they recorded their debut album Pretty Mess in 2004. After some touring in the autumn of 2006, they released a split 7" with Alberta's Columbus, and then followed it up with their second full-length No One Will Know after signing to Mint Records in February of 2007.