Toronto electro-pop duo High Jinx take the stage at Handlebar

Toronto electro-pop duo High Jinx performed their fifth show at Handlebar’s small stage on November 22. They opened for Toronto alternative band v serious and Montreal indie synth pop band How Sad.

An intimate crowd of about 15 people gathered at the dimly lit bar, some listening to the band and some indulging in conversation and drinks at tables with pendants hanging above. A pinball machine and bronze bikes perched along the wooden walls were also featured at the retro bar.

High Jinx features Ranny Lee on vocals Mark Moby Holman working the synths and instruments.

Rocking red lipstick and a black dress decorated with blue skulls, Lee opened the show with their first song, Close To The Sun. Her sweet and high-pitched voice filled the room as Holman, grey-bearded and dressed in all black with a cat face shirt, head banged and swayed around the tiny stage whilst playing guitar. Lee was apparently stiff compared to her quirky band mate, but moved back and forth to the song as well.

Loud, hyperactive ‘80s-inspired synths were active in their next song, Easy Come Easy Go, which Lee wrote about financial instability–at a time in which she had only 18 cents in her bank account. Transforming vulnerable, nitty gritty experiences into upbeat songs is something that Lee aims to do through her songwriting. In one part of the song, Holman played a guitar solo with accompanying background electronic sounds, which led back into vocals with drums.

“Thanks everyone for coming out tonight on a Sunday evening. It should be a good show,” Lee said as she waited for Holman to prepare the recorded backtrack for their next song, Moving On, which featured louder instruments to which Lee’s vocals became backup. The ground shook to the blaring music. Following that song was Waiting.

As some time elapsed, Lee became more comfortable on stage. Holman continued to head bang and shake his body, seeming to never stop moving.

They then performed The Way I Like It, a sexually suggestive song. Lee started to dance seductively along to the song, shaking her hips. “I can be your pet and you can be my owner,” she sang.

After the song ended, Lee smiled and said to the crowd: “Bet you didn’t see that coming.”

Following that was their song Night Terrors, after which Lee told the crowd: “Hopefully that song won’t give you night terrors,” accompanied by Holman making a “bad um tss” sound. Afterwards, they performed Get Pretty or Die Trying, One Step At A Time and Cherries.

The final song of their show was Human, which is the song that marked the start of the duo’s journey together as an electro-pop band. Lee belted out the word “human” loudly, raising her microphone up in the air.

Holman started his musical journey at a young age, after someone handed him a flyer for guitar lessons outside of his school. He’s had a history of playing in mainly punk and rock bands in the Toronto music scene, but always had an appreciation for electronic music. After watching the BBC documentary Synth Britannia, he was inspired to branch off from loud guitar-based bands to try out a synth pop project.

Lee, on the other hand, sang in choirs growing up because of h

er religious parents, who would not let her listen to secular music. As she got older, she reached an age in which her parents could not keep her away from mainstream music, so she secretly jammed out to a radio in her room with headphones on.

When Holman’s old band Teenage X used to perform, Lee would attend their shows in support of a mutual friend. The two met through the mutual friend, who showed a demo of Lee’s singing to Holman. When Teenage X broke up, Holman asked Lee whether she wanted to join him in his synth pop project. About a year and a half ago, he sent her a song to work on and write lyrics to, which is how their first song ever, Human, came to be. Lee said that this songwriting process was “like magic.” Holman similarly said that Lee “perfectly melded” to his songwriting style.

With chemistry on stage which makes for catchy, upbeat music, and off stage which entails humorous bickering like an old married couple, the two continued to write more songs. They eventually released their debut four-song EP, Cut & Run in mid-2015.

As Holman noted, the two are still on a learning curve but are working hard to perfect their music and onstage performances.

Torontonians should keep an eye out for High Jinx, as they venture out into the music scene with nostalgic ‘80s synths and modern electronic sounds which produce upbeat music with seductive, gloomy and very real lyrics.

*This article initially appeared in CanCulture Magazine in December 2015