Toronto alt-rock trio The Man Who released their single “Money” in February. They shared with us a special acoustic performance of the track for our Live Sessions series.

Formed in 2015, The Man Who began as a long-distance collaboration between cousins David and Chad Walsh. The two began writing stripped-back folk songs, sending demos back and forth between Newfoundland and Toronto. David later joined Chad in Toronto, where they began exploring new sounds by experimenting with vintage synths and drum loops. They brought in drummer Frank Goerz and called themselves The Man Who, an homage to a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he’s going.”

The Man Who caught their first big breakthrough with their 2017 debut single “Bet On You,” which quickly became featured on Hockey Night in Canada and MLB broadcasts. They dropped their debut EP Bet On You in 2019, and toured North America while their lead single “Natural Villain” reached #5 on Canadian Alt Radio.

“Even though David and I are cousins, I feel like we’re meant to be brothers – and that connection is the same between us and Frank,” he says. “Our three personalities are so different but in the best way possible, and we all balance each other extremely well. We can spend countless hours in some tiny rehearsal space or bedroom, just running ideas and trying things out and seeing what’s possible with the music.”

The Man Who last visited us in 2019 for an Indie88 Black Box Session.