Now, with momentum firmly on their side, SHY FRiEND are stepping into 2026 by expanding their world outward—beginning with a collaborative, multidisciplinary night at the Werklund Centre for the first episode of TD AMPLIFY‘s 2026 programming.

At the heart of SHY FRiEND is a refusal to self-censor—and that goes well beyond donning clown getups, which anyone who has had a chance to see the group live before would be familiar with. It’s tied to a broader way of moving through the world that Olive articulates plainly.

“As long as you’re okay with being cringe, you don’t really have to worry about embarrassing yourself,” she tells RANGE, sipping tea at Caffe Beano, a Beltline institution. “We basically use it as a mantra to not take things too seriously, or even worry about what other people might think because somebody’s going to find you cringe, and that’s okay.”

That permission-to-fail mindset isn’t just thematic, it shapes how the project exists in public. “Being bad (at singing) made me unafraid of failing,” Olive says. “It gave me the space to experiment and be okay with where I was at while I worked on my craft a little bit.”

While Olive later pursued post-secondary classical voice training, the band’s foundation was built on sincerity over technical perfection. Vulnerability is treated as a creative asset rather than a liability. “We definitely don’t shy away from it, that’s for sure,” she adds. “We are absolutely, aggressively silly.” In a cultural moment obsessed with polish and presentation, SHY FRiEND’s open-book approach feels less like a gimmick and more like an invitation—to loosen up and maybe even laugh at yourself.

That same spirit runs through SNAGGLETOOTH, the band’s six-song debut EP. Rooted in DIY instincts, the release was given added clarity through collaboration with local producer and musician Chris Dadge, who helped channel the band’s off-kilter energy into something more focused without sanding off its edges.

“I was really scared (about working with an engineer) but Chris made that really comfy,” Olive recalls, smiling. “He easily understood what we were looking for, plus, he had bunnies at the studio.” That low-pressure environment encouraged bigger risks and bolder choices. The result is perhaps best captured on lead single “Freaky Nightmare,” a punchy, serrated blast of alt-pop rock that snarls, shimmers, and teases—intentionally unruly and just a little bit unhinged.

Any doubts about whether SHY FRiEND’s fast-and-loose energy could translate from recording to live performance have long since been put to rest. “We like to treat our shows kind of like a secular church,” Olive explains, “a place for people to feel comfortable being whatever the heck they want to be and simply have fun.”

That ethos plays out through playful, often unpredictable crowd interactions: Beyblade duels replacing mosh pits, a Nintendo DS passed around for impromptu Majora’s Mask turns, and immersive themes—like their recent “backwoods prom”—guiding the night’s chaotic but welcoming atmosphere. “We try to make it as obvious as possible who we’re doing this for and who we are,” Olive notes.

Over the past year, SHY FRiEND have become a familiar and memorable presence across Calgary, performing dozens of shows and steadily building a devoted following. Highlights ranged from their Sled Island debut at the Ship and Anchor to a 2025 high-water mark at Loophole, where they celebrated the release of SNAGGLETOOTH. Those experiences now feed directly into the band’s next chapter—and their inclusion in TD Amplify marks a chance to push their practice into new, collaborative territory.

On Jan. 16, the Engineered Air Theatre at the Werklund Centre will transform into an immersive exploration of movement, sound, and feeling. SHY FRiEND will share the stage with dancer and movement artist Sierra Oszust, whose dark, abstract choreography interrogates vulnerability, alongside Murmur Theatre’s Rita Rebetskaya and Polina Káulio, whose live art foregrounds visceral, theatrical storytelling.

For Olive, stepping into this unfamiliar space is both thrilling and unnerving. “It was really exciting to lean into sort of the scary and creepy stuff that I usually don’t do,” she says. “It’s nice that it’s one performance. I can get all of that scary energy out, let it all live on that stage and see what happens next.”

SHY FRiEND performs as part of TD AMPLIFY: Episode 1 on Jan. 16 at the Engineered Air Theatre inside Calgary’s Werklund Centre | TICKETS & INFO