TOPS Announce New Album ‘Bury the Key’

Montréal indie pop outfit unveil lead single “Chlorine” and UK/EU tour dates ahead of August release.

TOPS have announced their long-awaited fifth album Bury the Key, set for release on 22 August via Ghostly International. Alongside the news, the Montréal band have shared the record’s lead single, “Chlorine” and a run of UK and European live dates.

Their first full-length since 2020’s I Feel Alive, Bury the Key signals both a creative evolution and a deeper emotional edge for the four-piece, Jane Penny, David Carriere, Marta Cikojevic, and Riley Fleck. Known for their pristine, groove-driven songwriting, TOPS explore murkier territory on this record, leaning into what they call their “evil TOPS” era. The result is a sharper, moodier take on their classic soft-focus sound.

The album draws from both fictional characters and lived experiences, exploring themes like self-destruction, toxic relationships, and existential unease. "We're always kind of seen as a soft band or like naive or friendly in a Canadian way, but we made it a challenge to really channel the world around us.” says vocalist Jane Penny.

“Chlorine,” the record’s centrepiece, is a dusky ballad that juxtaposes late-night longing with the stinging clarity of hindsight. Penny explains: "At one point I was caught in a cycle of going out to the bar hoping that I would cross paths with a certain person who was not good for me but who I felt irresistibly drawn to. I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where it’s very cold and I used to go to the pool a lot in the winter. It’s also where I first started going to bars to drink with my friends. I was thinking about alcohol and chlorine both being poison, thinking about all the people that I’ve tried to be close to that have ended up being bad for me, how I still love them all, and I wrote the song 'Chlorine.'"

With Bury the Key, TOPS sharpen their pop instincts while holding fast to their emotional core, creating a body of work that feels both immediate and enduring.