Devours

{{Short description|Canadian electronic musician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist

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| birth_name = Jeff Cancade

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| origin = Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

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| genre = Electronic pop

| occupation = Singer-songwriter, producer, composer

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| years_active = 2013-present

| label = Artoffact Records, Locksley Tapes

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Devours is the stage name of Jeff Cancade, a Canadian electronic musician.{{cite news |last1=Ligeti |first1=Arik |title=Queer synth-pop artist Devours on masculinity, body image and his split from religion |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-queer-synth-pop-artist-devours-on-masculinity-body-image-and-his/ |work=The Globe and Mail |date=2 April 2019 |language=en-CA|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240612140434/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-queer-synth-pop-artist-devours-on-masculinity-body-image-and-his/|archive-date=12 June 2024}}

Career

Originally from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Cancade launched the project after moving to Vancouver, British Columbia and coming out as gay.{{cite news |last1=Laube |first1=Aly |title=Artist Spotlight: Devours |url=http://runnermag.ca/2019/04/artist-spotlight-devours/ |work=The Runner |date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708010816/https://runnermag.ca/2019/04/artist-spotlight-devours/|archive-date=8 July 2024}}

Cancade released {{their}} debut mixtape Dignity in 2013,{{cite web |last=Dee |first=Natalie |title=Devours: Passion Emergent |url=https://www.citr.ca/discorder/april-2016/devours-2/ |website=Discorder |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708010733/https://www.citr.ca/discorder/april-2016/devours-2/ |archive-date=8 July 2024 |date=6 April 2016|others=Photography by Evan Buggle; Illustrations by Danielle Jette}} before following up with the full-length mixtape 21st & Main in 2014.{{cite news |last1=Bouchard |first1=Greg |title=Devours is Nanaimo's Second Biggest Export |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/devours-interview/ |work=Vice |date=10 July 2014 |language=en|url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708010807/https://www.vice.com/en/article/r3zxyy/devours-interview|archive-date=8 July 2024}} {{ucfirst:{{they}}}} then released {{their}} first official EP Avalon in 2015, and debut full-length album Late Bloomer on April 15, 2016, via the independent label Locksley Tapes.{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Gregory |title=Devours 'Late Bloomer' |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/devours-late_bloomer_album_stream |work=exclaim.ca |date=11 April 2016 |language=en-ca|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708010831/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/devours-late_bloomer_album_stream|archive-date=8 July 2024}}

In 2018, Cancade signed to Artoffact Records,{{cite news |last1=Theissen |first1=Brock |title=Devours Signs to Artoffact Records for Sophomore Album 'Iconoclast' |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/devours_signs_to_artoffact_records_for_sophomore_album_iconoclast |work=exclaim.ca |date=14 November 2018 |language=en-ca|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708010857/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/devours_signs_to_artoffact_records_for_sophomore_album_iconoclast|archive-date=8 July 2024}} releasing {{their}} second album Iconoclast on that label in March 2019.{{cite news|url=http://beatroute.ca/2019/03/05/album-premiere-devours-passionately-embraces-queer-identity/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622021437/http://beatroute.ca/2019/03/05/album-premiere-devours-passionately-embraces-queer-identity/|title= Devours Passionately Embraces Their Queer Identity|author-last=Lopez|author-first=Joey|newspaper=BeatRoute|date=5 March 2019|archive-date=22 June 2019}} The album was preceded by the advance single "Curmudgeon", and supported with a regional tour of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.{{cite news |last1=Theissen |first1=Brock |title=Devours Introduces Us to the "Curmudgeon" in New Video |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/devours_introduces_us_to_the_curmudgeon_in_new_video |work=exclaim.ca |date=20 February 2019 |language=en-ca|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708010932/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/devours_introduces_us_to_the_curmudgeon_in_new_video|archive-date=8 July 2024}}

Cancade's music has been described as "a pseudo-goth, synth-heavy electronic project that occupies a uniquely experimental, queer niche in Vancouver" by The Globe and Mail.

Outside of Devours, Cancade has also composed music for television and film. {{ucfirst:{{their}}}} 2023 album Homecoming Queen was a longlisted nominee for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize.{{cite news |title=2024 Polaris Music Prize long list |url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/polaris-music-prize-2024-long-list-the-beaches-charlotte-cardin-allison-russell-1.7230166 |work=CBC Music |date=11 June 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240708012102/https://www.cbc.ca/music/polaris-music-prize-2024-long-list-the-beaches-charlotte-cardin-allison-russell-1.7230166 |archive-date=8 July 2024}}

Personal life

Cancade is genderqueer, and uses they/them pronouns.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-22 |title=Devours: The Highbrow Behind the Eyebrows |url=https://readrange.com/devours-interview/#:~:text=From%20Montreal,%20Cancade%20brought%20back,fully%20ready%20for%20gender-queerness.|last=Attia|first=Noémie |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=RANGE |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250221171346/https://readrange.com/devours-interview/|archive-date=February 21, 2025}}

Discography

  • Dignity (2013)
  • 21st & Main (2014)
  • Avalon (2015)
  • Late Bloomer (2016)
  • Iconoclast (2019)
  • Escape from Planet Devours (2021)
  • Homecoming Queen (2023)

References

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