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Calgary Heavy Alternative Band Blends Gothic Emo, Post-Hardcore and Shoegaze While Building an Expansive Neo-Gothic World Through Music, Film and Storytelling
Fade Into Being Pt. 2, the new album from Calgary heavy alternative band Howells, out now!
Blending the atmospheric heaviness of Deftones with gothic emo, post-hardcore, shoegaze and big melodic hooks, Howells have created an ambitious two-part project that goes well beyond the music.
At the center of it is Sylphae, a neo-gothic fantasy world connecting the band’s songs, music videos, characters and photography. Frontman Benjamin Howells is even developing written stories around the mythology, with plans to eventually create immersive live shows where fans can physically step into that world.
At the center of it all is Sylphae, a neo-gothic universe the band has been building alongside the music, with plans to eventually bring that world into its live performances and expand its mythology through written stories. What began as an album project has grown into something much larger, with each release revealing another piece of the band’s creative vision.
The first installment has already surpassed 70,000 streams, and the band has earned two YYC Music Awards nominations, with collaborations featuring 90’s Winona, Astrology Girl and Folded Hand.
Blending post-hardcore intensity, shoegaze atmosphere and massive melodic hooks, Howells describe their sound as “Halocore” — dark and hopeful, sacred and dangerous. Part hymn, part breakdown. Fade Into Being captures the band at full scale: emotionally unguarded, visually ambitious and unconstrained by any single corner of alternative music.
Created with producer Devin Taylor, a five-time Nail The Mix winner, the project moves between atmospheric restraint, melodic immediacy and cathartic heaviness. It also features collaborations with several artists from the Canadian alternative scene, including Astrology Girl on “Overflow,” Folded Hand on “8 Fold Fence,” and 90’s Winona on “94.”
The album’s musical range is reflected in previous singles “Broken Roses” and “94”. While “Broken Roses” channels grief and loneliness through a dark, cinematic atmosphere, “94” embraces the energy of ’90s pop-punk, exploring nostalgia, aging and the desire to return to a time when summer seemed endless.
But the music is only part of the story.
Throughout the Fade Into Being project, Howells have been developing Sylphae, a fictional world whose characters, locations and mythology connect across the band’s songs, videos and imagery. Frontman Benjamin Howells sees it as something that will continue growing long after the album’s release.
“We’re building something much larger around the band. Eventually, the music will be only one doorway into Howells. Our live shows will let people physically step into the world we’re creating, while the lyrics reveal more about its characters, places and history. I’ve also begun developing some written material to deepen the story of Sylphae,” says Benjamin.
The video for “Broken Roses,” filmed in part at Calgary’s Reader Rock Garden, offered the first substantial glimpse into Sylphae. Its follow-up, “94,” picks up directly where the previous video ends, introducing James of 90’s Winona as the Keeper of the Archive of ’94.
Filmed largely in James’ basement, surrounded by decades of ’80s and ’90s memorabilia, the video transforms a familiar hangout into a fictional archive of memories and artifacts. Many of the details came directly from James’ personal collection.
“James had so much ’90s stuff for us to use. Actually even the shoes we wore during the MTV-style section were his vintage Reebok Pumps. We happened to be the same size and that’s what inspired my all white outfit and his all black one,” recalls Howells.
The band also created a custom VHS tape marked “94,” which serves as a relic within the story. To capture the feel of vintage MTV-era footage, the performance sequences were played through an actual CRT television and filmed directly from the screen rather than recreated with digital effects.
Despite the elaborate concept, Howells says much of the video’s appeal comes from the natural friendship between its two central figures.
“We followed a few scripted ideas of mine but most of the shoot was just the two of us doing what we always do: hanging out in the basement, watching VHS tapes, and making stuff. I think that familiarity is why so many people have told us the video feels real,” says Howells.
The world of Sylphae also extends into the band’s photography. Recent images shot at Reader Rock Garden use infrared techniques to transform the landscape’s natural green foliage into surreal pastel pinks, echoing the album artwork and creating a distinctive visual identity.
With Fade Into Being Pt. 2 now available, Howells have completed a body of work that reaches beyond the boundaries of a traditional alternative rock release. What began as a collection of deeply personal songs has grown into an evolving creative universe, with more stories and visual chapters still to come.
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