“Five Minutes With” local alt-pop project Pallas Athene

Pallas Athene is an ethereal alt-pop project created by Breanna Johnston.

After playing in various rock and folk bands for nearly a decade in Toronto, she injured her hands and took some time away from guitar in order to heal – a hiatus which led to an adventure in making electronic music.

In 2016, she recorded her first solo single “What I Want”, under the moniker Pallas Athene. This track was shared by FatCat Records UK Demo site and was later included on the vinyl compilation, “Brought to Light” (by the same label in July, 2019).

Her new self-titled debut EP (released October 11th) is an ethereal dark-pop record that explores the theme of man vs machine. With lo-fi dream vocals and minimalistic beats, the songs have an ethereal and contemplative quality.

Pallas Athene

Name: Breanna Johnston [ Pallas Athene ]

Genre: Alternative Pop, Dark Indie Pop

Founded: 2016

# of Albums: 1

Latest Release: Pallas Athene EP (debut)

Latest Single: Through Hell

Latest Video:

Favourite Restaurant:

Tibet Cafe (Kensington)

Favourite band as a teenager:

CocoRosie

Favourite band now:

Massive Attack

Guilty Pleasure Song:

“Rhythm is a Dancer – SNAP!”

Live Show Ritual:

Arriving super early, drinking herbal tea and triple-checking my cables and gear.

Favourite local artist:

Maylee Todd (love her record “Acts of Love”)

Sneaky Dees nachos, pasta from Terroni or a superfood salad from Fresh?

It’s gotta be Sneaky Dees nachos!

Queen or College St?

College street! It’s a bit more low-key and has the shop “Soundscapes”.

Trinity Bellwoods or High Park, Riverdale or Kew Gardens?

High Park because of the water trail, but Riverdale’s view of the city at night is unbeatable.

EP or LP? EP

Early bird or night owl?

I’m definitely a night owl.

Road or studio?

I have stage fright, so its definitely the studio for me where there is more freedom to experiment.

Swiss Chalet or Roti?

Roti all the way! (I’m sad that Bacchus Roti on Queen is gone after 33 years…)

Where can we follow you?

Instagram |  Twitter | Facebook

Any shows or albums coming up?

I just released by debut EP on October 11th on all digital platforms as well as Bandcamp (for a physical copy). I’ll be hitting the road later this year for some local dates in the GTA and travelling around on a wider tour in March of 2020.

 

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Editor-In-Chief at Toronto Guardian. Photographer and Writer for Toronto Guardian and Joel Levy Photography