Theodor has been played on NTS shows including Supporter Radio: Heartbreak, with Mirror first played on 4 May 2023.

The original Theodor would not be pleased. And yet, when the Toronto-based indie pop band was looking for a name, they turned to Theodor Adorno, author of “On Popular Music,” an article in which he lambastes the pop music of his time (1940s jazz) in favour of Beethoven’s 5thsymphony. It seemed appropriate to give a nod to Adorno for some accurate observations on the pop music he heard. But more than that, naming a pop band after a pop hater was meant as a “take that,” a sign of the band’s determination to prove him wrong.

With six members and no guitars, Theodor has an unusual instrumentation for a pop/rock band: vocals, violin, trumpet, piano, acoustic bass, and drums, plus occasional appearances by the glockenspiel, recorder, and autoharp. It is a collection of jazz- and classically-trained musicians, who have united to create their own kind of “hopped-up chamber music,” influenced by musicians from Brahms to Bjork. Theodor's hallmark is a polyphonic soundscape with intricate and interwoven melodic lines drawing natural comparisons to Beirut and Owen Pallett. Their songs show a stark contrast between bright, catchy melodies and dark narratives, a fitting nod to frontwoman Elise Epp’s theatrical background. As a collection of concert band nerds gone indie band, Theodor joins the current trend towards lush, symphonic orchestration with a new perspective: years of musical training as soloists, which they now bring together as a band.

Elise Epp is responsible for writing and singing the songs. Her voice shows evidence of the German Lieder she has studied, and yet it does not sound out of place in a pop band, at one moment delivering her lyrics almost in speech, and in another, soaring above the band. The “orchestra” consists of Erin Eaton at the piano, Aline Homzy on the violin, and Sean White on trumpet, grounded by Gabriella Ciurcovich’s rhythmelodic bass playing and Zaynab Wilson’s creative and energetic beats. Together, the band balances the philosophical and the emotional, and strives, above all, to create an honest representation of the role of their generation in the world.

THEODOR is a psychedelic sweet soul band formed by members with diverse musical backgrounds.

theodor (spelled with lowercase) is a Danish singer and finalist from X Factor Denmark 2023.