The size of a man’s band is not the measure of his creativity. As a member of the expansive, Canadian pop collective, Broken Social Scene, guitarist Andrew Whiteman may find himself on stage with eight, ten, twelve musicians, maybe more. With Apostle of Hustle, Whiteman is in a much more manageable group of three. Yet, despite the disparity in size, there is no correlating gap in either quality or imagination.

Rhythmic, bass heavy, and decorated with dubby flashes and effects, “Perfect Fit,” from Apostle of Hustle’s latest, Eats Darkness, draws on such wide influences as The Police, The Clash’s dub experiments on Sandinista!, and the pop minimalism of Spoon. And while a cursory listen would reveal a song in tune with indie rock’s recent flirtations with world music, it still has an outsider quality to it. This is not one for busting out the deck shoes and pressed summer shirts. No, it’s a bit grittier than that.

MP3: Apostle of Hustle – Perfect Fit

Apostle of Hustle’s Eats Darkness is out now on Arts & Crafts Records.

Apostle of Hustle
Arts and Crafts

photo by Geoff Weibe