Photo credit: Ronan Bowman
Emerging from Victoria, BC's music scene, Puddler are a new three-piece blending the grit of grunge, the hazy textures of shoegaze, and the melodic guitar sounds of the Pacific Northwest. Comprised of Anton Wilson, Will Jagger, and Collin Rennie, the band came together through a handful of demos, late-night jam sessions, and a shared creative chemistry that quickly evolved into something bigger.
With their debut single “melt,” arriving today, Puddler offer the first glimpse into their forthcoming debut record, Learning to Dive. REVERIE caught up with Puddler to talk about their beginnings, the influences shaping their sound, and what's next for the emerging trio.
REVERIE: For those meeting Puddler for the first time, who’s in the band, and how did the three of you find each other?
Puddler is Anton Wilson, Will Jagger, and Collin Rennie. I started the project after bringing a handful of demos to Will and Collin, who I didn’t know very well at the time.
Will and I first crossed paths thanks to Victoria’s small music scene when we played a show together in different bands. I remember seeing him rip a synth and a bass alongside some wild samples. It was exactly the kind of energy I thought back to when reaching out to him about this project.
Collin and I had met a handful of times over the years through a close childhood friend. I knew he was a great drummer when I asked him to join, but I was blown away by how dialled-in he was during our first jam. There was a natural chemistry between the three of us early on. We all came into it without knowing each other all that well. Though after some late nights, studio sessions, shows, and a trip together, we’ve built upon a really cool creative friendship.
REVERIE: What were your earliest practices like? Was there a particular song or moment when you felt like you were onto something?
I had a handful of demos written before we got into a room together. Will and Collin had heard them, but they were pretty bare-bones at that point. We ended up renting this little jam space, and the only slot we could seem to get was 9 p.m. to midnight. Our first jam was crazy productive. Little did we know - we’d fleshed out the title track of the record and started jamming through a couple of other songs that night. It was interesting to hear these ideas take shape once Will and Collin got their hands on them. I think we left that first session with a much clearer idea of what this project could turn into.
REVERIE: Where did the name Puddler come from?
I came to the name Puddler over a year ago while I was away travelling. I remember realizing how I missed the Pacific Northwest, even the rain and grey skies. The name grew out of that feeling, a mix of place and emotion. There’s the idea of sinking into a puddle of your own tears or sitting with your sorrows, but also there is the more playful, chaotic idea of jumping in puddles or splashing through a tide pool. It’s a little tongue in cheek, romanticizing the mess even if you end up soaked. But, the rain resets and meanings shift as I’m sure it will for me over time.
REVERIE: What’s it like starting a band in Victoria? Are there local bands, venues, or people who have helped you find your footing?
Starting a band in Victoria is a bit of a mission. It’s easy to find people who care about making music and supporting local art, but being part of a smaller scene means fewer places to play and fewer people to consistently play to. That being said, if you put yourself out there, there’s a thriving community of like-minded people who genuinely want to see each other do well. Big shout to the crew at CFUV (UVic campus radio) and the local DIY venues with accessible pricing for independent artists. We’re also a couple of hours from Vancouver via the infamous BC Ferries. You can get a nice view and a white spot pirate pack when on the boat. It's hard to complain.
Photo credit: Ronan Bowman
REVERIE: Your debut single, “melt,” is our first introduction to the band. What’s the story behind it, and why did you choose this song to go first?
We've been in and out of the studio the last couple months working with our friend Layten Kramer and it's been a rip. We chose ‘melt’ because it happened to come together the quickest - luckily it also felt like the most approachable track as an introduction to Puddler. The song takes on a story of an introspective meltdown, dissociation, and avoidance.
REVERIE: Your forthcoming debut record is called Learning to Dive. Where did that title come from, and what else can we expect to hear beyond “melt”?
Learning to Dive is a launching point for Puddler. Sonically, it’s full of energy and emotion, blending the grittiness of grunge and Pacific Northwest guitar music, the hazy walls of shoegaze, the introspective soft side of emo, with some digital textures of hyperpop. We pull from a lot of different places, but I think the record captures us coming into our own and jumping headfirst into something new.
The title has a few meanings. Like the name Puddler, it’s an ode to the place we live - an island surrounded by the ocean - but it also reflects how spontaneously the band came together and how we approached writing and recording. Learning to Dive feels like the three of us taking that leap into the blue together.
REVERIE: Now that the music is making its way out into the world, what are you most excited to do as a band? Give us one achievable goal and one wildly ambitious one.
We’re super excited to tour & keep creating music together - with this release we are also filming our own music video, printing our own lino cut t-shirts, and doing all the art within the band . Big love for DIY even if it is a little janky at times. We want to tour western Canada and hopefully play a handful of festivals in 2027! We think it would be ambitious to go to Europe and Japan before 2030, maybe funded by a wealthy patron of the arts (;
