Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Jay Arner is a musician and songwriter who has earned a reputation as one of the most interesting talents on the Canadian indie music scene. Writing and performing engaging and melodic pop tunes, often with a retro-electronic slant, Arner was born in 1979. He got his start in music with the group International Falls, joining the band in 2002 and working with them through 2008. International Falls was the first of what Arner has cited as dozens of bands he'd played with, including Poison Dart, Fine Mist, Bleating Hearts, and Gal Gracen. Arner also worked at a recording studio where he produced and recorded material for a number of bands, including Mount Eerie, Rose Melberg, Tough Age, Apollo Ghosts, and No Gold. By 2013, Arner had amassed enough songs that didn't find a home with his other bands that he decided it was time to record a solo album. Locking himself into his small practice space with a portable recording setup, Arner knocked out ten songs, with Arner handling all the instrumental and vocal duties himself. Vancouver's noted indie label Mint Records struck a deal to release Arner's solo material, and the album, concisely titled Jay Arner, won enthusiastic reviews in the music press. Arner assembled a band and hit the road to promote the release, playing in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe as well as his native Canada. In 2014, Arner launched another side project, Energy Slime, with Jessica Delisle, who played keyboards in Arner's road band. Playing minimal synth rock, Energy Slime released an EP in November 2014. In 2015, Arner produced the debut album from the Vancouver pop group Supermoon, and June 2016 saw him return with his second solo album for Mint, Jay II. The album's first single, "Crystal Ball," got a promotional boost in North America when it was debuted online by Spin Magazine. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi