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Photo Credit: Celeste Midori // Download High-Res Photo HERE
“While their debut leaned into a hazy, grungy cohesion, this record expands their sound — introducing more experimentation with texture, synths, and structure while keeping that introspective core intact.” — EXCLAIM
“Souvenir sees knitting expand on the slacker rock sound established on Some Kind of Heaven with more depth, having drawn inspiration from the diversity of Montreal's DIY scene.”
— THE LINE OF BEST FIT
“We named knitting a Band To Watch back in 2024, coinciding with the release of their excellent debut full-length Some Kind Of Heaven. Today the Montreal indie rockers have announced its follow-up Souvenir, which they're teasing with the brooding, lightly grungy lead single ‘I Want To Remember Everything.’”
— STEREOGUM
“A wonderful band”
— NARDWUAR
Today, Montreal band knitting are excited to share their sophomore album, Souvenir, available now via Mint Records. A precise follow-up to their 2024 debut, Some Kind Of Heaven, the new record elevates their gritty approach, allowing frontperson Mischa Dempsey to explore deeper, more delicate themes. A confrontation with existential dread looms over every track while Dempsey and the band attempt to recover a sense of self. For the trio, souvenirs aren’t a physical commodity; they’re the memories, good and bad, that have benefited and burdened their lives. While Dempsey’s lyricism takes a moody turn, knitting’s familiar alt-rock buzz furnishes the record, making Souvenir a fitting sophomore return.
“Souvenir in this context kind of has a double meaning: in French it literally means “to remember”, but I also like to think about memories as a kind of souvenirs from life – like, what are the things that we take along with us,” Mischa Dempsey explains. “Sonically, we drew inspiration from a wide range of influences – punk, shoegaze, indie rock, alt-pop – and have created something that is both firmly an alternative/indie rock album, but plays with the conventions and limits of the genre.”
LISTEN TO SOUVENIR
Last month, knitting shared “I Wasn’t Fully Cooked,” a song that reflects on what it means to be known and remembered, stemming from a fear of unexpectedly dying before sharing something vital about yourself. The video, directed by Sasha Khalimonova, stars Celia Green, a performance artist out of Toronto, and Alex Mona Al Refai Al Jandali. The scenes jump back and forth between the two, building a sense of dread that pushes and pulls and gnaws at you as the song plays on. Each scene flashes with movement, creating one long ever-shifting dance.
Earlier this spring, the band announced Souvenir—which in French translates directly to "to remember." The record considers what we take with us in life—each song feels like opening a locket and looking onto a specific moment or memory, a world of feeling held in a few moments. They announced the album with the release of “I Want To Remember Everything,” a track about having been a weird kid, and trying to reconnect as an adult with all the parts of yourself you tried to deny in order to fit in. It’s a striking track that gets into your soft spots, while still finding an ease in its chiming chords and driving, focused guitars.
Along with “I Want To Remember Everything,” they released “Here Comes,” a song that moves towards an unclear destination, with the sort of straightforward fearlessness that comes from feeling both not enough and way too much. And yet, an unnerving uncertainty remains. As with the rest of the album, this track was recorded and produced in-house, fully engineered by guitarist Sarah Harris, with the rest of the band contributing bits and pieces to the production. Free of typical recording studio schedule restrictions, songs were built on instinct and in the moment, culminating in a record that feels entirely true to the band that made it.
WATCH “I WASN’T FULLY COOKED”
WATCH “HERE COMES”
WATCH “I WANT TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING”
After meeting through the Montreal DIY scene, knitting released their debut full-length Some Kind of Heaven in 2024 to great acclaim, a record with unflinching lyrics, gauzy sonic layers and brooding guitars. It garnered praise from Stereogum, FLOOD Magazine, Pitchfork, and even Nardwuar. In Canada and beyond, they've played with bands like Wishy, Preoccupations, Ribbon Skirt, and Wild Pink. To celebrate the release of the record, they announced a slate of shows in Canada coming up—see below and connect with them on Instagram at @knitting_band.
KNITTING LIVE 2026
JULY
9 – Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa
10 – Ottawa, ON – FONO
11 – Peterborough, ON – Sadleir House
22 – Hamilton, ON – Ooey Gooey’s
23 – Toronto, ON – Dina’s Tavern
24 – London, ON – Honey Dip
25 - West Nipissing, ON - River & Sky Camping & Music Festival
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