Catching Vibes With cootie catcher

The Toronto four-piece juggle jangly hooks and playful electro detours on Something We All Got.

By Stephan Boissonneault

Photos by Colin Medley

Published on February 26, 2026

Standing out in the crowded indie landscape is no small feat, but Toronto four-piece cootie catcher carve out a distinct space on Something We All Got. Across 14 tracks, the band’s identity is shaped by three primary vocalists—Sophia Chavez, Anita Fowl, and Nolan Jakupovski—each bringing a contrasting tone and emotional register.

Jakupovski pairs metallic yet melodic guitar lines with an emo-leaning delivery, his half-sung passages on “From Here To Halifax” hovering on the edge of collapse. Chavez injects a bright, bijou sweetness into tracks like “Rhymes With Rest,” while revealing sharper edges on the jangling “Gingham Dress.” Fowl’s alternative tenor anchors the punchy single “Quarter Note Rock,” adding depth to the band’s rotating vocal dynamic.

Whimsical electronic flourishes—bells, record scratches, toy-keyboard tones—thread between songs about fading relationships and resilience. Mixed by Nate Amos (This Is Lorelai, Water From Your Eyes), the album’s playful yet precise electro touches feel intentional rather than ornamental. Beneath it all, drum programming interlocks with Joseph Shemoun’s live percussion, whose krautrock-informed fills and explosive crashes—particularly on “Quarter Note Rock” and the closer “Pirouette”—provide kinetic lift.

Balancing indie-pop immediacy with left-field turns like the indietronica detour “Puzzle Pop,” Something We All Got is both charming and unpredictable.

If Something We All Got is defined by shared voices and playful unpredictability, the band’s dynamic off-record is much the same. Operating without a single frontperson, cootie catcher shape their songs collaboratively — rotating vocals, trading instincts, and embracing a little chaos along the way. RANGE caught up with the Toronto four-piece to talk almost-cut singles, “uncool” influences, dream blunt rotations, and the pursuit of stability.

We love the new album! What’s one fact about Something We All Got that we’d never know just from listening?

Anita: I always think it’s crazy that we almost cut “Puzzle Pop,” but then it ended up being a single.
Joseph: I had a very small backup vocal line on the chorus of “Gingham Dress”… but alas, it was cut…

Is there anything that you don’t got at the moment but would very much like to get?

Nolan: A little stability is all one can ask for… I think I can say that for the entirety of the band…
Anita: I think I know I’m swag, but I’d like to feel more swag.
Joseph: Ditto stability, and probably a larger collection of vintage drums.
Sophia: Nolan is right… it’s all I could ask for.

What’s the least “cool” influence that snuck onto this record?

Nolan: Probably, like, Green Day for me… Or Bach, if you think that’s not hip… Or Big Wreck.

What’s something people consistently misunderstand about cootie catcher?

Nolan: That there is a frontperson in this band in any way… We’re like a table with four legs.
Anita: I’m not sure that it happens as often, but we used to get a lot of people assuming we’re super young.

Which song changed the most from demo to final version?

Nolan: Probably “Going Places,” since it began with electric guitar but ended up sounding better acoustic. Changed the vocals many times throughout the process…

Dream blunt rotation: one Carpark Records labelmate, one Toronto icon, one fictional character.

Nolan: We love to chill with Good Flying Birds… Glenn Gould would be a nice addition if I can include deceased Toronto icons… and I’d like to hang out with Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He has a kind soul.
Sophia: GFB for me too — party animals — but also Toro y Moi, Filipino king… Rhea Singh of CNT Mag, and Hannah from Girls.
Joseph: GFB, Stan Marsh, and all of Rush.

What’s the pettiest disagreement you had while making this album?

Nolan: We are unified in our choices… unless I blocked something out of my memory and someone else can correct me.
Joseph: Me not wanting to wake up at 6 a.m. to record drums in Hamilton on three different occasions haha, jk it was fun.

Final and most important: how exactly does one go about catching cooties in 2026?

Nolan: By doing the no-washing-hands 2026 challenge. We’re all doing it in the band so far this year…
Anita: Also make sure to pet every dog, cat, or bird you meet.