Canadian experimental pop band Braids will debut in Shenzhen at B10 Live tonight.

    Formed in 2007 in Calgary, Alberta, Braids’ live music brims with an undeniable energy, combining stunning vocals, powerful drumming and tasteful electronics, warped and sewn together with widescreen warmth and full-bodied punch. Lead vocal Raphaelle Standell-Preston said they chose “Braids” as the band name because “they are a tightly knit group of friends and everything is written collectively.”

    The band released their critically acclaimed debut “Native Speaker” in 2011 and its 2013 follow-up “Flourish//Perish.” They had a tour in Asia in 2015 before the release of their multi-award-winning third album “Deep in the Iris” and EP “Companion.”

    “‘Native Speaker’ was quite in your face, but with ‘Flourish//Perish’ we really took a left turn. ‘Flourish//Perish’ was electronic and cold. I really love that record but it’s not really who we are as a band anymore. It was a growing record. It marked a really hard time in our lives. ‘Deep in the Iris’ is more like ‘Native Speaker’ but more refined and mature. Both are confessional and raw but ‘Deep in the Iris’ does that with a bit more focus and vision,” said Standell-Preston.

    She said they dive into some heavy and taboo topics such as rape culture and sexism in “Deep in the Iris” and EP “Companion.” “It was a really big turning point for us as a band — to be able to get raw and emotional with our music again after having written a cold and emotionally removed record — ‘Flourish//Perish.’ I wanted people to be able to feel whatever they wanted when listening to the albums and to feel comforted by the reality that we all have hard days, we all fall in love and fall out of love, and if we can all acknowledge it together, it makes life easier to be with.”

    For the current Asia tour, Standell-Preston said they are testing out a handful of new songs for its next record.

    The band members, also consisting of Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith, are longtime friends and they get a lot of inspiration from each other. “Without that anchoring of friendship I think we would be scared to talk about some of the things we do. Right now I’m really interested in the negative effects that phone culture has on our relationships and on our sense of self but maybe that’s for the next record!” said Standell-Preston.

    Time: 8:30 p.m., March 9

    Tickets: 120 yuan

    Venue: B10 Live, North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区B10现场)

    Metro: Line 1, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A(Cao Zhen)