Alvvays
Alvvays are a Toronto-based Canadian indie pop band whose jangling guitars and Molly Rankin’s vocals connect “Archie, Marry Me,” Antisocialites and Blue Rev.
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Latest
Alvvays’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Overview
- Based in
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Roots
- Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island
- Started
- 2011; the group’s Toronto move and early demos preceded the finished debut
- Breakout
- “Archie, Marry Me” and the self-titled debut, 2014
- Sound
- Indie pop with jangling guitars and layers of noise
Mini bio
How it started.
Molly Rankin grew up in Cape Breton, while Alec O’Hanley grew up on Prince Edward Island. They began trading songs, and a summer making music on PEI helped bring their partnership together. Keyboardist Kerri MacLellan joined them, and they moved to Toronto in 2011. In their Song Exploder interview, they recalled that they only formally became Alvvays after finishing the debut record.
The song that opened the door.
Rankin first demoed “Archie, Marry Me” in 2011 while working in a busy pub. It became a defining song on their 2014 self-titled debut, recorded with Chad VanGaalen. Antisocialites followed in 2017, with “In Undertow” and “Dreams Tonite,” and won the 2018 JUNO for Alternative Album of the Year.
Finding Blue Rev.
The band started writing again soon after Antisocialites, but touring, stolen demos and pandemic border closures stretched the process. Blue Rev finally arrived in October 2022, with production by Rankin, O’Hanley and Shawn Everett. Its songs include “Pharmacist,” “Easy on Your Own?” and “Belinda Says.” The album won another alternative album JUNO, and “Belinda Says” brought their first Grammy nomination.
Beyond their own records.
In 2025, Rankin and O’Hanley contributed writing, production and performances to Miley Cyrus’s “End of the World.” Both also appear in the writing and performance credits for “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved,” extending their partnership into another artist’s pop songs.
Creditschronological, newest first
Studio albums
- 2022Blue RevRecording artists; Molly Rankin and Alec O’Hanley also co-produced with Shawn Everett
- 2017AntisocialitesRecording artists
- 2014AlvvaysRecording artists
Collaborations by band members
- 2025Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved · Miley Cyrus feat. Naomi CampbellMolly Rankin and Alec O’Hanley: co-writers and performers
- 2025End of the World · Miley CyrusMolly Rankin and Alec O’Hanley: co-writers, co-producers and performers
Awards
Quotes
I’m not a perfectionist, but I’m tough on my own work.Molly Rankin, The Creative Independent, October 25, 2022
Trivia
- Blue Rev takes its name from the sugary alcoholic drink Rankin and MacLellan knew as teenagers in rural Cape Breton.
- “Archie, Marry Me” began as a classical-guitar demo recorded into GarageBand with a USB microphone.
- The debut’s producer, Chad VanGaalen, told them they had made a band record and should give the group a name.
- The anniversary reissue brings VanGaalen back in another role: illustrator of its fold-out poster.
Find Alvvays
Follow their songs, videos and show announcements.
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