Formed in 2003, Jets Overhead are a JUNO-nominated Canadian alternative rock band from Victoria, BC, known for their expansive soundscapes, shimmering shoegaze textures, and layered vocal harmonies that are at once intimate and epic. Although they are no longer actively touring, in 2025 and 2026 the band is opening its archives to release previously unheard music from the vault. The recent archive album Ordinary Dreamers – Rarities and Demos, Vol. 1 is streaming everywhere now, and the new single “When You Catch Me” arrives May 29, 2026.
HISTORY:
Jets Overhead’s 2003 self-titleddebut EP charted on CMJ and set the stage for 2006’s Bridges – a landmark release offered as a “pay-what-you-want” download a year before Radiohead popularized the model with In Rainbows. That move made Jets Overhead early pioneers in rethinking digital music distribution, while the album also earned their first JUNO nomination (Canada’s GRAMMY equivalent) and cemented their reputation as boundary-pushers in both sound and spirit.
2009’s No Nations, recorded on remote Hornby Island, BC with Neil Osborne (54*40), fused dreamy synths with guitar-driven edge and featured the alt-radio hit “Heading for Nowhere.” The album brought the band to new heights on global festival stages including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Shanghai World Expo, and the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Their third LP, Boredom and Joy (2012), offered a deeper dive into themes of longing and modern disconnection. Produced by Emery Dobyns and recorded between New York and Victoria, it added lush sequencing and cinematic arrangements to the band’s evolving sonic palette.
Jets Overhead toured throughout the world from 2003 to 2012, sharing the stage with artists including Broken Social Scene, Tegan and Sara, The Temper Trap, The Stills, The Dears, Our Lady Peace, 54*40, Sam Roberts Band, Lights, and The Dandy Warhols. From the stage to the studio, the band has carved out a quiet but enduring legacy, remaining one of Canadian indie rock’s cult favourites.
"Jets Overhead's lush, driving rock is the bristling, slightly psychedelic offspring of the likes of Radiohead and Pink Floyd.”–Los Angeles Times (USA)
“Jets Overhead echo many a great band, from The Velvet Underground to The Bends-era Radiohead to early Coldplay. Trance-rock is their métier, woozy melodies and rhythmic rise and fall…it makes for a very pleasant trip.”–Q (UK)
“Bridges has slowly become my favorite album of the year. Because of its playability! I can put it on and it sets me free from the bullshit of life. Yet, it also rides shotgun when I'm excited and soothes me. It fits SO MANY moods. I can just put it on an endless loop and play it for hours!”–The Lefsetz Letter (USA)
“This five piece deliver a fantastic no nonsense indie rock album in which every track seems to be a gem. Influences clearly range from the Dandy Warhols to Arcade Fire, Elliott Smith and even some Pink Floyd, and even through the trance rock parts, the hooks and melodies give it a real sheen and style.” –Rough Trade (UK)
DISCOGRAPHY:
Jets Overhead (2003), Bridges (2005), No Nations (2009), Bystander (2011), Boredom and Joy (2012), The Timing: 15 Years of Jets Overhead (2018), Ordinary Dreamers – Rarities and Demos, Vol. 1 (2025)
