You didn’t know you needed them until you did. Next Week’s Washing merges shimmering shoegaze soundscapes with post-punk bite and ’90s Britpop styling into a magnetic wall of sound that eschews nostalgia to create something new. Formed in 2024 by ambitious young musicians in Toronto – Rhys Newman, brothers Miles and Julian Duffy, and later joined by Ben Sawyer and Evan DeCastro – Next Week’s Washing delivers unforgettable tunes with powerful vocals and sublime guitar lines recalling Oasis and Slowdive, but in their own bold style. A breakout EP recorded by Dylan Frankland of Tallies and mastered by Canada’s top engineer Noah Mintz reflects the nuanced songwriting, tight execution and confident delivery that gets the crowd bouncing in their electrifying live performances. Catch them as the tide is rising. This is only the beginning.
Name:
Next Week’s Washing
Genre:
Shoegaze / Britpop / Alternative / Indie
Founded:
2024
# of Albums:
None to date, but we’ve got one EP out, and another on the way…
Latest Album:
Our debut self-titled EP just released.
Latest Single:
The final single from our debut EP, All You Fear Is All You Feel, just came out.
Favourite musician growing up:
Miles (vocals): The Strokes. I’m told I was a big fan of distortion.
Julian (guitar): The Stone Roses. Their debut album was a big part of my young life. It used to be on in the car all the time.
Rhys (guitar): It’s gotta be the Beatles. Abbey Road was the first album I ever listened to, and it’s still my favourite to this day. That being said, AJR is a close second.
Ben (bass): Coldplay. Always loved Chris Martin’s voice and all their early music. Parachutes is still in my top 3 albums of all time.
Evan (drums): I was really into Dave Matthews Band growing up, still am. They were always being played in my house when I was a kid, so I keep a special place in my heart for their music.
Favourite musician now:
M: Julian and I recently saw Just Mustard live, and they blew our heads off. Really raw, unique sound; they’re awesome.
J: Right now it’s Jeff Buckley. His guitar playing is a big inspiration to me, and it goes without saying that his voice is one of the greatest in music history.
R: Cardinals. Their lyrics, style, and songwriting sum up how music and a band should be approached these days. Shout out to Cillian Murphy for the suggestion.
B: Probably Radiohead. They’ve definitely been the biggest influence on my music taste. Their songwriting has just always blown my mind.
E: Really into Oasis right now; I’ve always been a fan, but they’ve been on repeat recently. Definitely Maybe is a top 3 album for me.
Guilty pleasure song:
M: Mine’s got to be End of Beginning by Djo. It’s a bit of a TikTok song, but it’s a banger.
J: I think mine is Blinding Lights by The Weeknd. It’s a great song.
R: Wii Sports” theme song for me. The chorus truly has Miles Davis undertones.
B: Right now? The Cure by Olivia Rodrigo. Never thought I’d say I liked Olivia Rodrigo’s music, but this one’s been on repeat for awhile now, haha.
E: Probably Every Breath You Take by The Police or something, a little cheesy, but still a good song.
Live show ritual:
Ben really likes a popsicle before we go on.
Favourite local musician:
Tallies are genuinely incredible. We’ve been working with Dylan—who records, mixes, and produces our music, as well as playing guitar in Tallies—for quite a while now. We often talk about how lucky we are to have met him, because through that connection, we discovered Tallies. Their music is a perfect blend of everything we love, and they’re truly a fantastic band.
EP or LP?
I’d say a short LP is best. It’s easy to overstay your welcome with a full-length album, while an EP often leaves you wanting more. For us, the sweet spot is an LP with eight or nine songs.
Early bird or night owl?
M: I’m probably more of an early bird; I never tend to sleep very late.
J: Night owl.
R: Night owl. I’ve never been fond of the loud ones chirping in the morning.
B: Depends on the day or what I have to do the next one.
E: More recently night owl, I still sometimes wake up early though.
Road or studio?
We love recording, but Gord Downie said it best when he likened playing live to standing in front of a jet engine. There’s nothing else that compares, so we’d have to choose the road.
Any shows or albums coming up?
Our debut self-titled EP just came out, so make sure to give that a spin. We’ve also got another one in the works that we’re still putting the finishing touches on. Coming soon…
Where can we follow you?
Spotify | Instagram | Forgemaster Records
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Rapid Fire Local Questions:
What is your favourite local restaurant?
Skyline Diner.
What is your favourite street in your city and why?
Queen St, the stores are great.
What is your favourite park in your city and why?
Christie Pits. It’s the best place to play baseball – best to watch it too.
What is your favourite music venue in your city?
Massey Hall.
What is your favourite music store in your city?
Long and McQuade, their equipment rental program is really great.
