WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.700 Picture this. You're sitting in your living room, 00:00:02.779 --> 00:00:05.900 maybe halfway paying attention to the TV or, 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:07.960 you know, just scrolling on your phone. Right. 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:11.400 Usually totally tuning it out. Exactly. But suddenly 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:13.500 there's this piece of music driving the visuals 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:16.460 that is just so undeniably catchy. Oh, yeah. 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:18.980 We've all been there. It's so uniquely energetic 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:21.059 that you find yourself scrambling for your phone, 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:24.160 opening up an app, and trying to Shazam the track 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:27.239 before the 30 -second spot even ends. And that 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:29.620 specific scenario completely changed the music 00:00:29.620 --> 00:00:32.759 industry, especially in the early 2010s. It really 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:35.799 did. And today, we are unpacking the fascinating 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:38.859 trajectory of a group that lived exactly on the 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:41.520 other side of that scenario. Welcome to the Deep 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:43.289 Dive. Thanks for having me. I'm really excited 00:00:43.289 --> 00:00:45.409 for this one. So today we're taking a stack of 00:00:45.409 --> 00:00:47.549 source material, basically centering around a 00:00:47.549 --> 00:00:50.570 single detailed Wikipedia article. And we're 00:00:50.570 --> 00:00:52.070 pulling it apart to look at the intersection 00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:55.429 of underground music and massive global advertising. 00:00:55.670 --> 00:00:57.130 Right. We're looking at the Kid Street Band. 00:00:57.570 --> 00:01:00.670 Yeah, the Kid Street Band. If we had to put a 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:03.070 label on this deep dive, like a title, we might 00:01:03.070 --> 00:01:05.629 call it something like the Kid Street Phenomenon. 00:01:05.989 --> 00:01:09.370 How a Canadian sibling trio. became the sound 00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:11.829 of apple and ford i like that it has a nice ring 00:01:11.829 --> 00:01:15.120 to it Right. And we are tailoring this specifically 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:18.280 for you, the listener, who loves uncovering those 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:20.780 hidden stories behind the sounds that subtly 00:01:20.780 --> 00:01:24.040 score our everyday lives. It really is the ultimate 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:26.900 backstage pass because we often hear these massive, 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:29.599 ubiquitous sounds and just assume they were generated 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.859 in some, I don't know, sterile corporate boardroom 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:34.939 somewhere. Totally. Just executives in suits 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:37.519 pressing a button. Exactly. But the reality is 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:40.239 usually far more grounded and frankly, a lot 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:42.319 sweatier than that. Right. Okay, let's unpack 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:44.280 this. We have to start right at the foundation. 00:01:44.819 --> 00:01:47.120 To understand how they ended up in millions of 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.280 living rooms, we are traveling back to the year 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:52.680 2007. 2007, a very different era. Definitely. 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:55.719 And the location is Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. 00:01:55.900 --> 00:01:58.439 That is the birthplace of Kid Street. And that 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:01.239 location provides some vital context, really. 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:03.879 When you look at the landscape of Waterloo, Ontario 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:08.000 music, it has always had a rather distinct texture 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:09.939 to it. Yeah, it's a bit of a hybrid city, right? 00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:13.300 It is. Waterloo is this unique hybrid where it's 00:02:13.300 --> 00:02:16.539 a major college town, but it's also a massive 00:02:16.539 --> 00:02:19.780 technology hub. Oh, right. The tech side. Yeah. 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:22.580 So out of that specific environment in 2007, 00:02:22.900 --> 00:02:25.659 you have this Canadian electronica group emerging. 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:28.419 Right. But what makes the foundation of Kid Street 00:02:28.419 --> 00:02:31.800 so compelling isn't just their geography. It's 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:34.300 their DNA. Because it's a family band. Exactly. 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:37.379 It is entirely a family affair. This synth pop 00:02:37.379 --> 00:02:40.180 trio is made up of three siblings. Which, I mean, 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:42.379 that always adds a layer of complexity to any 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:44.539 band story. Absolutely. You have two brothers 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:47.080 and a younger sister. Carl Snyder is on the drums. 00:02:47.580 --> 00:02:49.819 Cliff Snyder is handling the synth and the guitar, 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:52.580 and the younger sister, Edna Snyder, is providing 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:55.280 the piano and the vocals. That dynamic is always 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:57.180 so interesting. Whenever you look at the history 00:02:57.180 --> 00:02:59.319 of music, sibling bands are fascinating. Think 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.639 about Oasis or the Kinks. Oh, man, the Gallagher 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:05.180 brothers. Right. There is often a lot of tension, 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:08.639 but there is also this unspoken, innate chemistry. 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:12.659 They share a rhythmic language that is incredibly 00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:15.000 difficult to manufacture with strangers in a 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:17.789 rehearsal space. I'd imagine the shorthand they 00:03:17.789 --> 00:03:20.150 have with each other is just built in. Like you 00:03:20.150 --> 00:03:21.770 don't have to explain to your brother that he's 00:03:21.770 --> 00:03:23.710 playing too loud. No, you just give him a look. 00:03:23.830 --> 00:03:25.370 Yeah, a look across the stage that you've been 00:03:25.370 --> 00:03:27.629 giving him since he was 10 years old. And that 00:03:27.629 --> 00:03:30.770 intuition clearly translated into their sound. 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:33.969 The sources we're looking at today describe Kid 00:03:33.969 --> 00:03:37.409 Street as having a, quote, unique form of synth 00:03:37.409 --> 00:03:39.810 pop. Which is a pretty broad term, but it fits. 00:03:40.050 --> 00:03:42.229 They fall firmly under the umbrella of Canadian 00:03:42.229 --> 00:03:44.939 electronica. but they are doing something very 00:03:44.939 --> 00:03:48.000 distinct with the genre. And that brings me to 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.439 their live setup, which completely challenges 00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:53.120 what you might expect. How so? Well, when you 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:55.639 hear the phrase electronica band, the immediate 00:03:55.639 --> 00:03:58.259 stereotype is a single person standing perfectly 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:00.439 still behind a glowing laptop screen. Maybe just 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:02.439 pushing the space bar. Yeah, pushing the space 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:05.159 bar, turning a single knob, and just nodding 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:07.460 their head to the beat. But the sources highlight 00:04:07.460 --> 00:04:10.340 that Kid Street actively shattered that mold 00:04:10.340 --> 00:04:13.620 they are a live electronic music group in the 00:04:13.620 --> 00:04:17.000 truest sense on stage they aren't relying on 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:19.339 a static backing track to do all the heavy lifting 00:04:19.339 --> 00:04:21.839 no they're really playing they're actively blending 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:25.300 electronic elements with real live instrumentation 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:28.620 you have live drums from carl live vocals and 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:31.540 piano from edna and live guitars and synths from 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:34.300 cliff What's fascinating here is how fundamentally 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:37.180 that choice transforms the relationship between 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:39.379 the band and the audience. Oh, for sure. When 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:42.279 you introduce live instrumentation into electronica, 00:04:42.339 --> 00:04:45.660 specifically a highly physical instrument like 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:48.079 an acoustic drum kit or a distorted live guitar, 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:50.860 you completely change the kinetic energy of the 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:52.839 room. Hold up. For those listening who might 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:54.759 just hit play on Spotify and not think about 00:04:54.759 --> 00:04:57.000 the production side, how does a live drum kit 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.079 actually change the mechanics of electronic music? 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:01.600 It's a great question. Electronic music by... 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:04.920 very nature is inherently precise. It's quantized. 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:07.459 Meaning what exactly? Meaning the musical notes 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:10.230 are snapped perfectly onto a digital grid. A 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:13.069 computer program ensures that every single beat 00:05:13.069 --> 00:05:16.110 lands on the exact mathematical millisecond it 00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:18.629 is supposed to. It's basically flawless. Flawless, 00:05:18.730 --> 00:05:20.850 yes. But because it's flawless, it can sometimes 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:24.009 feel robotic or sterile. But when Carl Snyder 00:05:24.009 --> 00:05:26.870 hits a real drum, or when Edna Snyder physically 00:05:26.870 --> 00:05:30.110 strikes the keys of her piano, it introduces 00:05:30.110 --> 00:05:33.269 these microscopic human variations in timing. 00:05:33.529 --> 00:05:35.910 It gives it a pulse. Exactly. It introduces a 00:05:35.910 --> 00:05:38.689 groove. More than that, it introduces a visual, 00:05:38.810 --> 00:05:41.120 physical... exertion that the audience can literally 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:44.319 see and feel in their chests. So the crowd isn't 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:46.879 just watching musicians press buttons. No, they're 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:49.379 watching them sweat and physically labor to produce 00:05:49.379 --> 00:05:51.980 these massive sounds. It makes the performance 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:55.180 an active rock concert experience rather than 00:05:55.180 --> 00:05:57.680 a passive listening session. Which totally explains 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:00.160 the touring pedigree they built up. When you 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:02.339 look at the roster of artists Kid Street shared 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:04.600 the stage with, it's a pretty staggering list. 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:07.759 It really is. To give you, the listener, a sense 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:11.029 of their peers. The sources mention major Canadian 00:06:11.029 --> 00:06:14.050 acts like Dragonette, Mother Mother, Thunder 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:17.790 Heist, and Rich O 'Coin. There's actually a specific 00:06:17.790 --> 00:06:20.209 tour reference noted in the sources with Rich 00:06:20.209 --> 00:06:22.750 O 'Coin in 2011. That was a big year for them. 00:06:22.970 --> 00:06:25.250 Massive. But they weren't just playing with local 00:06:25.250 --> 00:06:28.029 acts. They were also sharing stages with huge 00:06:28.029 --> 00:06:30.970 international names like Girl Talk and Health. 00:06:31.129 --> 00:06:34.949 That specific lineup of tourmates speaks volumes 00:06:34.949 --> 00:06:37.550 about their versatility. Think about the contrast 00:06:37.550 --> 00:06:39.509 between those artists. Yeah they are all over 00:06:39.509 --> 00:06:41.920 the map. Girl Talk, especially around that 2010 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:44.680 era, was known for putting on shows that were 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:49.079 absolute, unbridled, sweaty chaos. It was a massive, 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:51.680 relentless mashup dance party where the crowd 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:54.360 was essentially on the stage. Right. So for Kid 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:56.540 Street to be booked alongside and act like that, 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:59.000 their live show had to be incredibly high energy. 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:00.959 They had to be able to move a massive dance floor. 00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:03.540 Absolutely. But then on the exact opposite end 00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:05.300 of the spectrum, you just mentioned health. Yeah. 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:09.680 Totally different vibe. Completely. intense, 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:12.959 dark, sometimes abrasive noise rock mixed with 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:15.740 industrial electronica. It's a much heavier, 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:18.500 more aggressive aesthetic. And then Mother's 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:20.199 in there too. Right. And you have a band like 00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:22.500 Mother Mother who are beloved for their sharp, 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:26.079 quirky vocal harmonies and tight indie rock sensibilities. 00:07:26.459 --> 00:07:29.160 The fact that a single synth pop trio from Waterloo 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:31.800 could comfortably fit on a bill with all of those 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:34.399 wildly different acts just proves that their 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:36.980 blend of live instrumentation and electronic 00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:39.620 pop was incredible. Incredibly adaptable. They 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:41.360 could bridge the gap between a frantic dance 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:44.040 party and a serious indie rock show. And all 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.759 of that live hustle culminated in some highly 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:50.420 respected milestones. Our source explicitly highlights 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:52.680 that they performed at the 2011 Canadian Music 00:07:52.680 --> 00:07:55.420 Week. A huge industry event. Specifically, there 00:07:55.420 --> 00:07:57.939 is a noted show on March 12th at the legendary 00:07:57.939 --> 00:08:00.600 El Macombo in Toronto. Which is not a venue you 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:03.300 just casually stroll into. Not at all. For anyone 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:05.819 who follows music history, playing the El Macombo 00:08:05.819 --> 00:08:08.899 is a massive badge of honor. It's this historic, 00:08:09.060 --> 00:08:12.199 gritty, neon -lit venue where everyone from the 00:08:12.199 --> 00:08:14.620 Rolling Stones to U2 has played. So you have 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:17.459 this sibling trio honing their chops, playing 00:08:17.459 --> 00:08:20.720 iconic venues, and touring relentlessly. They 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:23.199 are clearly putting in the groundwork. And that 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.680 hard work eventually triggers a major pivot point 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:29.720 in their career. The sources note that in 2010, 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:33.070 the band signed with Network Records. If we connect 00:08:33.070 --> 00:08:35.409 this to the bigger picture, signing with Network 00:08:35.409 --> 00:08:37.730 Records in 2010 was essentially the catalyst 00:08:37.730 --> 00:08:39.809 for everything that followed. Because Network 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:42.529 is huge. Network is an independent label, but 00:08:42.529 --> 00:08:45.070 it has a massive international footprint. They 00:08:45.070 --> 00:08:47.490 have a long history of breaking Canadian artists 00:08:47.490 --> 00:08:50.649 on a global scale. So it opened doors. This signing 00:08:50.649 --> 00:08:52.509 provided Kid Street with the infrastructure, 00:08:52.830 --> 00:08:55.570 the widespread distribution, and most critically, 00:08:55.789 --> 00:08:58.009 the industry connections required to take their 00:08:58.009 --> 00:09:00.509 sound out of the clubs of Ontario and inject 00:09:00.509 --> 00:09:03.659 it directly into the mainstream. Here's where 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:05.840 it gets really interesting. And that leads us 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.659 to the corporate licensing deals. Kid Street 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:11.000 landed some of the most coveted placements you 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:13.139 could possibly imagine in the advertising world. 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:16.779 The holy grail for an indie band. Truly. But 00:09:16.779 --> 00:09:18.639 before we get into the specifics, I want to play 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:21.870 Devil's Advocate for a second. In the underground 00:09:21.870 --> 00:09:24.289 indie scene, especially going back to the 90s 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:28.070 and early 2000s, licensing your music to a massive 00:09:28.070 --> 00:09:31.149 corporation was often viewed as selling out. 00:09:31.289 --> 00:09:33.230 Yeah, it was a dirty word. How did an indie band 00:09:33.230 --> 00:09:35.970 navigate that without losing their credibility? 00:09:36.620 --> 00:09:38.840 It's a really crucial point to bring up. The 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:41.559 stigma around selling out shifted dramatically 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:43.720 right around the time Kid Street was emerging. 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:47.399 What changed? By the late 2000s and early 2010s, 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:49.320 the traditional revenue streams for musicians 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:52.779 like physical album sales had completely collapsed 00:09:52.779 --> 00:09:56.299 due to digital piracy and the early days of streaming. 00:09:56.500 --> 00:09:59.480 Right. Napster and then early Spotify just gutted 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:02.360 album sales. Exactly. Indie bands suddenly realized 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:04.759 that corporate synchronization or indie music 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:07.639 licensing was no longer a compromise of their 00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:10.419 morals. It was a necessary survival tool. You 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:12.720 had to do it to keep the lights on. Beyond just 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:15.460 the paycheck, a major commercial placement became 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:18.100 the new radio. It was how you got your music 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:21.120 in front of millions of ears. So the culture 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:24.399 shifted from criticizing bands for doing commercials 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:27.419 to actually celebrating them for securing the 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:29.779 bag and getting their art heard. That makes total 00:10:29.779 --> 00:10:32.500 sense. It was the new mechanism for discovery. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.500 And for Kid Street, that discovery all revolved 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:38.179 around a specific track with an almost hilariously 00:10:38.179 --> 00:10:41.159 modest title. I love this part. The song is simply 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:43.820 called Song. That's it. Just Song. Right to the 00:10:43.820 --> 00:10:46.120 point. But what it lacked in a descriptive title, 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:48.120 it more than made up for in its sonic profile. 00:10:48.730 --> 00:10:51.350 The track is driven by this incredibly infectious 00:10:51.350 --> 00:10:54.730 staccato piano riff. The timeline of indie music 00:10:54.730 --> 00:10:57.789 licensing for this specific track is a masterclass 00:10:57.789 --> 00:11:00.470 in how a single piece of music can have a multi 00:11:00.470 --> 00:11:02.470 -year life cycle. Oh yeah, it wasn't a flash 00:11:02.470 --> 00:11:04.330 of the pan. Not at all. According to the sources, 00:11:04.470 --> 00:11:06.690 it wasn't just a one -and -done placement. Song 00:11:06.690 --> 00:11:08.990 first entered the corporate advertising space 00:11:08.990 --> 00:11:12.049 in 2009 when it was used in Ford commercial music 00:11:12.049 --> 00:11:15.470 campaigns. And clearly... The marketing executives 00:11:15.470 --> 00:11:18.629 at Ford saw a massive return on the energy that 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:21.049 track brought to their visuals because the sources 00:11:21.049 --> 00:11:23.690 note that song was actually brought back to score 00:11:23.690 --> 00:11:26.210 most of Ford's 2011 television commercials. That 00:11:26.210 --> 00:11:28.970 is a massive win. To be the sonic identity of 00:11:28.970 --> 00:11:31.470 a major automotive brand for multiple years is 00:11:31.470 --> 00:11:34.190 huge. It is, but they didn't stop there because 00:11:34.190 --> 00:11:37.690 in 2012, this exact same track was licensed by 00:11:37.690 --> 00:11:40.269 an entirely different corporate giant. A completely 00:11:40.269 --> 00:11:42.590 different industry. It became the Apple MacBook 00:11:42.590 --> 00:11:45.750 Pro commercial song. Specifically, it was the 00:11:45.750 --> 00:11:48.389 television spot, introducing the MacBook Pro 00:11:48.389 --> 00:11:51.230 with retina display. Okay, this is where I need 00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:53.470 to stop and look at the mechanics of this. You 00:11:53.470 --> 00:11:56.830 have one track, modestly titled Song. It is selling 00:11:56.830 --> 00:11:59.590 pickup trucks and sedans for Ford in 2009 and 00:11:59.590 --> 00:12:02.409 2011. And then it is selling high -end, cutting 00:12:02.409 --> 00:12:05.649 -edge laptops for Apple in 2012. Musically speaking, 00:12:05.990 --> 00:12:09.230 why does this specific track work so perfectly 00:12:09.230 --> 00:12:11.629 for two completely different products? It all 00:12:11.629 --> 00:12:13.730 comes down to the architecture of that specific 00:12:13.730 --> 00:12:16.549 staccato piano riff Edna Snyder is playing. Let's 00:12:16.549 --> 00:12:18.899 break that down. When you analyze why it works, 00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:21.039 you have to look at the nature of a staccato 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.659 note. Staccato means the notes are sharply detached 00:12:23.659 --> 00:12:26.379 and separated from one another. It's the opposite 00:12:26.379 --> 00:12:29.740 of a long, flowing, legato sound. Okay, so it's 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:31.799 punchy. There is no lingering, no bleeding of 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:34.299 sound. It's tap, tap, tap, forward, forward, 00:12:34.379 --> 00:12:36.100 forward. Right, it has an immediate sense of 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:39.460 propulsion. Exactly. If you are Ford and you 00:12:39.460 --> 00:12:42.159 are trying to sell a vehicle... You want to convey 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:45.059 momentum. You want the viewer to feel tires gripping 00:12:45.059 --> 00:12:47.700 the pavement, moving fast and reliably. And the 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.899 piano does that. The staccato rhythm naturally 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:52.700 mimics that forward physical motion. Now, pivot 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:55.639 to Apple in 2012. They're introducing the Retina 00:12:55.639 --> 00:12:57.879 Display. Think about what that product represents. 00:12:58.220 --> 00:13:01.240 It's crisp. It's sharp. It's about high -definition 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:03.720 processing speed and modern efficiency. So the 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:05.820 sharp, detached notes of the piano reflect the 00:13:05.820 --> 00:13:08.100 sharp... high definition pixels of the screen 00:13:08.100 --> 00:13:11.779 spot on that fast precise driving piano riff 00:13:11.779 --> 00:13:14.259 perfectly encapsulates both the mechanical momentum 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:16.440 of a car and the processing speed of a computer 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:19.620 without a single lyric needing to explain it 00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:22.019 to the audience that is brilliant It's a brilliant 00:13:22.019 --> 00:13:24.419 piece of compositional engineering, whether Kid 00:13:24.419 --> 00:13:26.639 Street intentionally designed it for that purpose 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.279 or simply stumbled into a universal groove. It's 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:32.679 the absolute perfect marriage of sound and product. 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:34.740 Yeah. But what really strikes me when I look 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:37.500 at the source material is the sheer velocity 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:40.240 at which this band was operating behind the scenes 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:41.860 while these commercials were airing. Why we're 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:43.559 busy. Let's look at what I'll call the sprint 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:47.539 of 2011. Based on their discography, 2011 wasn't 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:50.179 just a busy year. It was an absolute avalanche 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:52.870 of output. The volume of their releases during 00:13:52.870 --> 00:13:55.629 that 12 -month window is staggering. In that 00:13:55.629 --> 00:13:58.230 single calendar year, they dropped an EP titled 00:13:58.230 --> 00:14:01.129 X. They released two separate singles, Birthday 00:14:01.129 --> 00:14:03.450 Boy and Never Coming Back, and they released 00:14:03.450 --> 00:14:06.629 a full -length album. Yeah. To put that into 00:14:06.629 --> 00:14:08.870 perspective for the listener, releasing an EP, 00:14:09.129 --> 00:14:12.149 two standalone singles, and a full -length album 00:14:12.149 --> 00:14:15.110 in one year is an exhausting undertaking for 00:14:15.110 --> 00:14:17.629 any artist, let alone an independent one. Just 00:14:17.629 --> 00:14:20.690 the studio time alone. it requires writing the 00:14:20.690 --> 00:14:23.669 material spending weeks or months in the recording 00:14:23.669 --> 00:14:26.970 studio producing the electronic layers tracking 00:14:26.970 --> 00:14:30.409 the live instruments mixing mastering and then 00:14:30.409 --> 00:14:32.669 coordinating the press releases not to mention 00:14:32.669 --> 00:14:36.299 as we discussed earlier 2011 was the exact same 00:14:36.299 --> 00:14:39.000 year they were actively touring with Rich Alcoyne 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:42.059 and playing high profile showcases like the El 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:44.480 Macombo during Canadian Music Week. Right. Oh, 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:47.279 and their music was simultaneously backing the 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:49.580 majority of Ford's 2011 television campaigns. 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:51.860 They were quite literally everywhere at once. 00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:54.059 And there is a fascinating little quirk in their 00:14:54.059 --> 00:14:57.120 discography timeline from our sources that highlights 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:00.220 how strange the business side of music can be. 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:02.419 Oh, about the release dates. Yeah. The single 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:04.899 song, which, as we just discussed, had already 00:15:04.899 --> 00:15:07.279 been used in massive Ford commercials in 2009 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:10.259 and 2011, is officially listed in their discography 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:12.980 as a 2012 release. Hold on, how does that work? 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.899 How is a song released in 2012 if it was already 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:18.700 on my TV screen in 2009? This happens quite a 00:15:18.700 --> 00:15:21.600 bit in the sync licensing space. A track might 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:25.019 exist purely as a demo or it might be pitched 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:28.019 exclusively to ad agencies long before it gets 00:15:28.019 --> 00:15:30.320 a formalized commercial release to the general 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:33.480 public on platforms like iTunes or Spotify. So 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:35.539 it's just a corporate asset first. Oh, it essentially 00:15:35.539 --> 00:15:38.200 lived as a commercial asset for three years before 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:41.919 it was officially packaged as a 2012 single release 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.580 for their fans to purchase. That is wild. But 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:47.039 looking at that timeline as a whole, it really. 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:49.500 paints a picture of incredible momentum building 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:52.279 up to a crescendo. It does. The 2010 signing 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:55.200 with Network Records clearly opened the floodgates. 00:15:55.259 --> 00:15:57.820 It provided the resources they needed. Then you 00:15:57.820 --> 00:16:00.419 have this furious activity in 2011, the massive 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:04.379 recording output of Foo and the XEP, the relentless 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:06.820 touring. All leading up to Apple. All of this 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:09.720 ground level grinding culminates in the massive 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:12.860 2012 Apple commercial placement. I want you, 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.720 the listener, to just imagine the sheer work 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:17.669 ethic and and the physical exhaustion required 00:16:17.669 --> 00:16:20.110 by the Snyder siblings during this highly condensed 00:16:20.110 --> 00:16:22.899 period. Yeah, it's hard to fathom. It is a monumental 00:16:22.899 --> 00:16:25.639 undertaking to balance the creative demands of 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:28.299 a live electronic setup with the corporate demands 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:31.360 of global sync deals. It genuinely makes you 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:33.879 appreciate the hustle behind the music you hear 00:16:33.879 --> 00:16:36.779 on your screen. You hear 30 seconds and a catchy 00:16:36.779 --> 00:16:39.340 piano riff while someone opens a sleek silver 00:16:39.340 --> 00:16:42.539 laptop on TV. And you have absolutely no idea 00:16:42.539 --> 00:16:45.080 that those 30 seconds represent years of sweat, 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:48.559 complex sibling dynamics, endless highway miles 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:51.960 and late night studio sessions in Ontario. Exactly. 00:16:52.220 --> 00:16:53.960 So what does this all mean? If we zoom out and 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:55.840 look at the entirety of the source material we've 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:57.840 unpacked today, we have traced an incredible 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:00.919 arc. We really have. We started in 2007 with 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:04.119 a sibling trio in Waterloo, Ontario. We watched 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:06.539 Carl, Cliff, and Edna experiment with Canadian 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:09.319 electronica, actively deciding to break the mold. 00:17:09.539 --> 00:17:11.430 They didn't want to just press play. They didn't 00:17:11.430 --> 00:17:13.990 just want to be laptop DJs. They chose to build 00:17:13.990 --> 00:17:16.950 a live electronic music experience, blending 00:17:16.950 --> 00:17:19.869 real drums, guitars, and vocals with their synth 00:17:19.869 --> 00:17:22.690 -a -pop elements. We saw how that physical, high 00:17:22.690 --> 00:17:25.250 -energy stage presence allowed them to hold their 00:17:25.250 --> 00:17:29.150 own alongside wildly diverse acts like Girl Talk 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:31.829 and Health, ultimately leading to that crucial 00:17:31.829 --> 00:17:34.869 2010 signing with Network Records. And we saw 00:17:34.869 --> 00:17:37.529 how their unique musical sensibility specifically, 00:17:37.950 --> 00:17:41.180 a perfectly crafted staccato piano, riff caught 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:43.680 the ear of marketing executives. Bridging the 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:45.700 underground and the mainstream. Allowing them 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:48.200 to brilliantly bridge the gap between underground 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:51.640 indie art and global commercial commerce, turning 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:53.859 them into the unmistakable sound of both Ford 00:17:53.859 --> 00:17:56.740 and Apple. It's the ultimate indie dream fully 00:17:56.740 --> 00:17:59.160 realized. It truly is. And the next time you 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:00.900 find yourself watching a commercial or a movie 00:18:00.900 --> 00:18:03.119 trailer or even just a random sponsored video 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:05.400 on your feed and you hear an undeniably catchy 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:07.960 instrumental driving the action, I want you to 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:10.039 remember the story of Kid Street. Keep them in 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:13.059 mind. Remember that the music didn't just spawn 00:18:13.059 --> 00:18:15.859 out of thin air. There is a very real chance 00:18:15.859 --> 00:18:18.359 that the massive sound you are hearing was created 00:18:18.359 --> 00:18:21.579 by a hardworking indie band, maybe even a group 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:24.460 of siblings dragging a drum kit into a basement 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:27.039 somewhere, finally getting their big break and 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:29.299 seeing their art broadcast on a global scale. 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:32.000 That's the beauty of looking closer at these 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.700 seemingly everyday details. And it raises an 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:36.940 important question to leave you with today. Oh, 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:39.299 I'm ready for it. We've been dissecting the early 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:43.180 2010s, which was a very specific golden era for 00:18:43.180 --> 00:18:45.180 indie music licensing in television commercials. 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:49.019 But the landscape of media has shifted so dramatically 00:18:49.019 --> 00:18:50.740 since then. Right, cord cutting and everything. 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:53.039 We don't watch TV the same way we did in 2012. 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:56.650 So it sets you wonder. In an era where millions 00:18:56.650 --> 00:18:58.589 of songs are uploaded to streaming platforms 00:18:58.589 --> 00:19:00.990 every single day and where TikTok trends move 00:19:00.990 --> 00:19:04.009 at the absolute speed of light, what is the modern 00:19:04.009 --> 00:19:06.710 equivalent of that one perfect staccato piano 00:19:06.710 --> 00:19:09.309 riff? Wow, that's a great question. What is the 00:19:09.309 --> 00:19:11.910 new mechanism today that can instantly launch 00:19:11.910 --> 00:19:14.470 an independent band from a local stage in Ontario 00:19:14.470 --> 00:19:17.490 straight into the global cultural zeitgeist? 00:19:17.950 --> 00:19:21.450 Is it still the massive tech commercial or has 00:19:21.450 --> 00:19:24.289 the path to ubiquity completely changed its rhythm? 00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:27.119 That is such a fascinating thought to chew on. 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:29.619 The avenues to success in the music industry 00:19:29.619 --> 00:19:32.000 are constantly shifting, but the sheer power 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.460 of a perfectly crafted sound catching your ear 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:37.180 clearly never does. Thank you so much for joining 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:39.460 us on this deep dive. We love taking these single 00:19:39.460 --> 00:19:41.559 sources, unpacking the hidden mechanics behind 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:43.819 them, and sharing these incredible stories with 00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:46.019 you. Keep your ears open, pay close attention 00:19:46.019 --> 00:19:48.079 to the soundtracks of your daily life, and we 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:49.579 will see you on the next deep dive.