Toronto’s own Blitz//Berlin have hit their stride on an unexpected path to the international spotlight. Martin Macphail, Tristan Tarr and Dean Rode first met the year after high school, and have spend much of the last decade touring Canada in various punk and rock bands. 2016 has been a landmark year for the trio, beginning with scoring the most-watched movie trailer of the year (The Girl On the Train), and culminating in the release of their debut instrumental album Movements 1. For three self-described “punk kids” from Toronto, the leap from distorted guitars to orchestral arrangement may seem counterintuitive, but somehow with this album, Blitz//Berlin has turned dissonance into symphony. From a delicate and introspective piano piece, to electronic waves and orchestral horror mayhem, Movements 1 runs the emotional gamut, weaving and dodging the listener’s expectations and delivering a profound musical statement. The album also includes the original version of “Surfboard Fire (The Girl On The Train)”, with which the band joined forces with American rapper, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer and entrepreneur Kanye West (yes, Yeezus himself). “Surfboard Fire” earned a Bronze Award at the 2016 Clio Awards for “Best Use of Music”.