Toronto's Beliefs started out as a shoegaze duo before eventually putting aside their wall-of-sound guitar attack and embracing a more stripped-down, spacious form of synth-heavy post-punk. The group formed in 2010 when vocalists/multi-instrumentalists Josh Korody and Jesse Crowe met and bonded over noise pop groups like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. They began playing gigs around their home city and eventually signed to Hand Drawn Dracula, which issued their debut single, "Catch My Breath," in 2012. The duo's self-titled debut full-length appeared in 2013, quickly followed by a split 7" single with Greys. Beliefs performed at several music festivals and shared the stage with groups such as A Place to Bury Strangers, the Breeders, and Suuns. Their second full-length, Leaper, appeared in 2015, and the duo contributed a cover of "Sound of Thunder" to Making Patterns Rhyme: A Tribute to Duran Duran. Third album Habitat arrived in 2017, and was a turning point for Beliefs, with a greater emphasis on electronics than guitars, and a gloomier sound recalling the Cure and Portishead. ~ Paul Simpson