ROLEMODEL (official)

RLMDL (pronounced "role model") is the solo-turned-band project of Toronto musician/producer Jordan Allen. His passion for ambience, radio frequencies and static noise formed a sound he describes as “Pin-ups for dream lovers”, a descriptor that comes to fruition on the title track to his Bilingual EP. A utopian trance woven together by a metronomic drum loop and hazy riff, the track drifts off into its own reverie as Allen’s mystifying voice repeats his phrases as a form of hypnosis. The electronic dreamscape is texturized with a contrasting guitar line that tailspins the track into a nightmarish end where Allen pleads to be dragged “Back to hell,” completing its swirling narrative from blissful beginning to nebulous obscurity as he states, “It’s what I wanted.” - Pitchfork

RLMDL categorize themselves as a dream rock band, but they approach the unconscious act of dreaming more seriously than others. Similar to the guitar tones drifting along the ocean floor of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”, “Bilingual” challenges the barriers of their lucid dreams with hazy undertones. As a result, they learn that the American Dream doesn’t always equate to finding wild success, but sometimes in “[making] your own kind of empathy.” Download their Bilingual EP here. –Sam Willett - Consequence Of Sound

RLMDL: Before Then Was Now — RLMDL, pronounced “role model,” is Toronto’s Jordan Allen, and he makes a dreamy debut with Before Then Was Now. If I were to guess, I would not peg RLMDL‘s illusory style as being from Toronto at all, but from somewhere closer to the coast, where shafts of pale sun make eyes glisten, and salt breezes sift through shining hair.

The album starts out on a high note with the hazy vibes of ‘Young Rebels’. Saturated in layers of pleasant distortion and syncopated beats, this song is like walking through a dream, and it couldn’t be more like clouds after a sun-shower. It is here where we also come to see that the album’s simple pastel cover art is highly appropriate, because it seems to mimic the experience this album produces. You have been in the sun a little too long. You are a little sunburned, a little dehydrated and windblown, your eyes can only see in green when you return to being inside, but the euphoria is of an unmistakable kind. You are permeated with fresh air and infused with relaxation.

Every song here vibrates to a unique frequency, but all are calming enough to be appropriate for sun bathing, or even as background music for studying. However, there is more than first meets the ear. Upon listening further, there are layers to uncover. Subtle distortions and changes in pace, slight alterations in volume, and other melodious quirks make this album a pleasure to listen to. It is something that surely has the potential to grow with every listen.

The lyrics are thoughtful and carry themes of dream seeking, unfulfilled goals, wearing masks as we work our way through life, and unrequited love. However, despite the apparent melancholy tone of the songwriting, the overarching vibe of RLMDL remains intensely positive. I want to tell Jordan Allen and his light, soothing voice that he doesn’t fool me for a second – that I know at heart he is an incurable optimist, if a deep thinker. (I think it is possible to be both… do you?) After all, no one who creates music that sounds like waves and sunbeams can hate life too much, or at least for too long. I want to say we needed this: a small spot of beach in our winter, a cool breath of salty seas on a humid Toronto afternoon.

Before Then Was Now is a success in another way; it manages to be easier to define by describing its nature than by attempting to pin down the quality that leaves one feeling a little speechless. Fans of Washed Out and Brothertiger would be wise to give RLMDL a listen, because it has a similar chilled feeling redolent of beaches and the early sunset before the shadows grow too long. There is a place you can go where music transcends meaning, and RLMDL takes us there… 8.5/10 - Violent Success

RLMDL (aka Jordan Allen) from London/Toronto, Ontario has a blissful new track, “Just My Luck”, a gem that resides in the realm of dream pop and intimate bliss—a combination producing a type of slow and eternal dream state. You can find this track off of his debut EP of the same name Just My Luck, set to drop in December on PLACE Machine Records on limited edition cassette / digital with a full-length LP to follow soon... - Hearing Gold

Toronto based ambient electronic trio RLMDL (Rolemodel) recently released their song Local Celebrity, a single off of their forthcoming LP Before Then Was Now. The track is super mellow and dreamy, perfect for a lazy rainy day inside. Make sure to grab it as well as their other single A Good Start for free on their Soundcloud page! - Some Kind Of Music

Located just outside of Toronto are the fine folks of electronic-pop trio RLMDL. Their recent single “Local Celebrity” shows off the electronic ambient beauty of this Canadian group, with a stray guitar making things quite eerie. The hushed vocals keep things intimate among the pacing backbeat as the proceedings become more lush by the second. - Hand Clap Movement

Toronto’s up-and-coming dream poppers RLMDL (pronounced Role Model) have just released their brand new LP today, entitled Before Then Was Now, and they’re currently streaming it in full on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

With fun synth-work, airy vocals, and dreamy, ethereal soundscapes, RLMDL’s new album is here just in time for some sunny relaxation for the current and coming Summer months. Containing nine tracks of beautiful indie pop for fans of Beach House, The Postal Service, and The Radio Dept., Before Then Was Now is sure to put you in a happy place and might even get you dancing around a bit. You can stream the album after the jump and purchase it at the Bandcamp link provided. - Under The Gun Review

AH! This Before Then Was Now LP is too brilliant for words! RLMDL (pronounced Role Model) is an dreamy electronic indie pop band hailing from Toronto, who have recently released this really great album filled to the brim with soaring synths, all pulled together by great percussions and guitars, and perfect vocals. It’s an album I’ve been obsessing over ever since it was released. If you’re into Beach House and/or The Radio Dept., definitely make sure to get onto this. Grab it for $5 CAD via their Bandcamp.

Personal favourite tracks: ‘Young Rebels’, ‘Private Island’, ‘Local Celebrity’, ‘Trans Canada Misery’, ‘Trouble With You’, ‘Cover Girl’. Basically all of them? haha - Traxxhound

Have you heard of RLMDL? I’ve gotta say, it took me way to long to get around to this post, but I’m glad I’m able to finally point you towards this Toronto-based artist. Before Then Was Now is the the new album by RLMDL, written and recorded between June 2012 and March 2013 in various bedrooms and studios in Toronto and London, Ontario. All songs were written and produced by indie dream-pop connoisseur Jordan Allen and if I had to tell you where to start, try the first track, “Young Rebels”.

Check it out. - Indie Music Filter

Fires will start behind me as I walk away and those buildings will burn to the ground. The earth will salt itself with each and every step I take. The flowers will close and rot like all of our small bits of aging flesh. Clouds will form in the sky greeting our town with thunder and lightning. As I drive to work cars will spin out of control as trees fall to the ground. I’ll arrive safely and unharmed with carnage in my wake. I’ll apologize quietly to myself and remind myself that it is just my luck.

I have some fresh and relaxing sounds for you today in the form of Jordan Allen’s RLMDL (pronounced Rolemodel) project. He has just released his debut EP on Nov. 15th Just My Luck which will be available on a limited edition cassette through PLACE Machine Records and digitally through Bandcamp. The EP is made up of six laid back tracks including today’s selection Just My Luck. Give it a listen here and head over to Soundcloud for a download of the single and a stream of the full EP release. - Good Pop Bad Pop

We received a tweet over the weekend directing us to check out Toronto’s RLMDL (which I assume is pronounced ‘role model’). The artist’s EP is set for release digitally on November 15th – a week from tomorrow – on PLACE Records, an Ottawa based label. The EP will also be out on cassette early in 2012, and the first track from the six-song effort is available for download now.

RLMDL is the work of Jordan Allen, and he creates expansive, electronic music. It’s easily described as chillwave, but that seems to be a derogatory term at this point. Regardless of the label that’s applied to the music Allen creates, the music itself is easily repeatable, sounding relaxed and warped with the sun. He’s got a lot of contemporaries in the genre, but based solely on this first song I’ve heard from him, I’m excited to hear what the rest of Allen’s EP will sound like.

“Just My Luck” is available below, and is also the only track available to hear on his Bandcamp page. Guess they’re keeping a tight lid on things until the official release date. - Tympanogram

Jordan Allen of RLMDL is the embodiement of everything you love about the waves of chill that we journos run with, lambast, propagate, tirelessly define while the rest of you click on another tab to watch dumb cute cat videos on YouTube. I know how you feel, because who can resist the warmth and charm of feline acts streamed in 360p? RLMDL brings some warmth with tracks like "Just My Luck" that feels like waves both washing and masaging your entire being. His debut EP Just My Luck drops in December on limited edition cassette/digital with word that the LP will come soon after in January 2012 on PLACE Machine Records. - Impose Magazine

The brainchild of Toronto musician Jordan Allen, Rolemodel has grown into a full-fledged band, yielding the debut album Before Then Was Now in 2013. A new EP entitled Claire was released this past May, and PopMatters is pleased to premiere the new video for the hazy, Slowdive-influenced track “Cruel Intentions”, which was directed by Allen himself.

“Throughout my life I’ve lived with and continue to work through anxiety,” he says. “I know many people that do. This song is meant for anyone who has dealt, or is dealing with, any form of anxiety, mental illness or affliction. It’s a meditation on not letting it take control of you, being fearless and learning ways of finding your own path out of the dark.” - PopMatters

Formed in 2011 by producer Jordan Allen, Rolemodel wasn't intended as a full band project. Initially a noise pop sound experiment, Allen eventually added musicians before releasing several EPs and a full-length in 2013. Earlier this year, the group released its latest EP, Claire, and today, we're excited to premiere the video from the title track.

"I spent some time on the East Coast last summer, and my partner and I did a lot of hiking while we were there," Allen says. "You can hike up a giant mountain and suddenly walk out into a beautiful view of the ocean. Being thrown around by the wind on the edges of these vast rolling hills and mountains, it's an experience you don't get living in the city. Real life seems to slip away, and you can just lose yourself in the landscape. "Claire" is a song is about that feeling; being able to drop what you're doing, leave your life behind you and just lose yourself with someone."

As a bonus, we're elated to offer the song as a free download as well, which you can grab below. - Purevolume

Après une poignée d’EPs et un LP autoproduit, le sémillant Before Then Was Now divulgué en juin 2013, le Canadien Jordan Allen a enfin trouvé chaussure à son pied pour son groupe Rolemodel en la personne de James Meija et de son label Hand Drawn Dracula (lire) qui vient de faire paraître le 28 avril dernier son ultime effort, Claire, à écouter ci-après en intégralité. Sculptant ses mélodies pop atmosphériques au moyen d’une lead guitar fluette (Claire, Who You Know) ou perçant dans un halo de synthétiseurs à grandes envolées lyriques (Teen Idol, Trans Canada Misery), l’originaire de Toronto n’hésite pas à libérer l’électricité quand il s’agit d’enquiller ses refrains ou ralentir gravement le tempo (Cruel Intensions). Et histoire de jouer avec un certain brio la carte de la famille, Rolemodel ne s’est pas fait prier pour inviter Jesse Crowe, moitié de Beliefs (lire) et jouant en solitaire sous le patronyme de Praises, sur le conclusif Until grimant de ses saturations quelques cimes shoegaze sur les alambics dream-pop du groupe. Quoi de mieux que de mélancoliques sucreries glacées à l’heure d’une canicule transformant la ville en étuve ? - Hartzine

t may seem a bit moody for the summer jam season, but Rolemodel's "Teen Idol," from its forthcoming EP, Claire, is sort of the sticky, hazy, dreamy thing that gets stuck in your mind on a humid July afternoon.

“I think the subconscious is where a lot of music comes from,” Rolemodel front man Jordan Allen recently told Flavorwire. “I’m slightly obsessive when it comes to dreams and analyzing how they relate to life and emotions in the real world. Sometimes they’re really interesting and deep, and other times they’re hilarious and utterly ridiculous. Music is no different, in my mind.”

So we're wondering what he's channeling in this video — things get a little strange as Mr. Allen gets a drag makeover (do we detect a hint of Lolita with those red heart sunglasses?) and then things get, well, sloppy. Plus: Sparklers! - OUT Magazine

The music of Rolemodel, formerly known as RLMDL, is often described as “dreamy,” “hazy,” “ethereal” — the list of adjectives with nods to the subconscious go on. This mood defined the pop-meets-shoegaze project’s 2013 full-length, Before Then Was Now, and continues on “Until,” an intoxicating new track that Flavorwire is pleased to premiere below, off the Toronto group’s forthcoming EP, Claire. However, Rolemodel leader Jordan Allen says that he’s been “trying to write a bit more within the ‘real’ world recently, so it will be interesting to see how those worlds collide in the new material.”


“I think the subconscious is where a lot of music comes from,” Allen continues. “I’m slightly obsessive when it comes to dreams and analyzing how they relate to life and emotions in the real world. Sometimes they’re really interesting and deep, and other times they’re hilarious and utterly ridiculous. Music is no different, in my mind.”

On “Until,” the subconscious seeps into instrumentation that finds a middle ground among the music of Portishead, Purity Ring, Beach House, and My Bloody Valentine. A voice calling from another world comes courtesy of Praises, the solo project of Beliefs’ Jesse Crow.

“What drew me to work with Jesse was that her voice has a certain life and personality to it,” Allen says. “It seems to convey a story in its sound that differs a great deal from other musicians in the Toronto scene.” (Plus, Allen adds, “There are elements of competition to [collaboration] as well, trying to one up each other in order to better each idea as it comes along.”)

“Musically the song has a very dark ’90s feel to it, especially the choruses,” Allen says. “I definitely had that sort of era in mind when recording it, and having Jesse’s vocals on it really brought it into that world. Lyrically, the verses and choruses each have their own separate emotion; one of them is obsessively saying goodbye to someone or something, while the other sees it as an escape, relieved that it (or they) are no longer part of your life now.” - Flavorwire

What started out as RLMDL, a solo project for Toronto musician/producer Jordan Allen, is now a fully formed four-piece trading under the name ROLEMODEL.

Allen called his early work a “noise pop sound experiment”, but ROLEMODEL’s new EP, Claire, is the antithesis of noisy experimentation. Silken synths, breathy, angelic harmonies, and a very deliberate pop sensibility pervades these six sumptuous tracks.

“Trans Canada Misery” is absolutely seductive, spiralling around an 80s-indebted synth line that keeps mutating and evolving as the song progresses. “Who You Know” and “Cruel Intentions” tip their cap to The Smiths, if Morrissey would have let Johnny Marr add more keyboards to their early work; “Until” (featuring label mate Praises on vocals) revels in a dreamy wash of synths, broken by shards of splintering guitar.

Albeit brief, Claire is fully formed, more a compact LP than hastily assembled EP. Dreamy, yes, but far from sleep-inducing; ROLEMODEL prickles with crashing synths and awakens your sense with big, anthemic sounds. - Quick Before It Melts