We’re always rooting for TOPS here at HighClouds, and the Montréal quartet has just given us another reason to celebrate. Following the recent release of “ICU2,” the band is stepping fully into a new era with the announcement of their fifth studio album, Bury the Key, arriving August 22 via their new label home, Ghostly International. Alongside the album news comes “Chlorine,” a stunning new single, plus a huge tour spanning the UK, Europe, and North America.
Bury the Key is the group’s first full-length project since 2020, and it’s clear that their time apart pursuing solo endeavors has only sharpened their collective vision. This latest effort finds Jane Penny, David Carriere, Marta Cikojevic, and Riley Fleck leaning into a moodier, more textured sound — one that maintains their signature melodic charm while diving into deeper, sometimes darker emotional territory. The result is a record that lives in the tension between light and shadow, where glossy arrangements meet lyrics full of emotional nuance and contradiction.
Out today, “Chlorine,” perfectly captures this mood. The fact that chlorine is primarily used for disinfection but it is also an extremely reactive element sets the tone. At once nostalgic and toxic, the track evokes the bittersweet pull of bad habits and the people we can’t quite let go of. “At one point I was caught in a cycle of going out to the bar hoping that I would cross paths with a certain person who was not good for me but who I felt irresistibly drawn to,” shares Jane Penny. “I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where it’s very cold and I used to go to the pool a lot in the winter. It’s also where I first started going to bars to drink with my friends. I was thinking about alcohol and chlorine both being poison, thinking about all the people that I’ve tried to be close to that have ended up being bad for me, how I still love them all, and I wrote the song ‘Chlorine.’”
Catch TOPS on tour:
9/4 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
9/5 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
9/6 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile (EARLY SHOW)
9/8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
9/9 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
9/11 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada – Outdoor Stage
9/12 – Houston, TX @ Heights Theater
9/14 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
9/15 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
9/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
9/18 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up
9/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
9/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
10/1 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/2 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
10/3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
10/4 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
10/6 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/7 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
10/8 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
10/9 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
10/11 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
10/16 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
10/18 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield
11/10 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns
11/11 – London, UK @ Heaven
11/13 – Dublin, IE @ Workmans Club
11/14 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
11/15 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
11/17 – Leeds, UK @ The Brudenell Social Club
11/18 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
11/20 – Kortrijk, BE @ Wilde Westen
11/21 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
11/22 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
11/23 – Vlaardingen, NL @ De Kroepoekfabriek
11/24 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
11/26 – Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft
- Yvy Veins drift through a dreamlike haze on “Observer” - October 13, 2026
- DJ Suzy brings Y2K melodrama to the final Kira Krash preview, “end scene” - October 2, 2026
- Sarah Meth embraces the chaos on new single “Fun” - September 30, 2026
