Toronto’s Keegan Powell & The Jetpacks Deliver a Blazing Mix of Shoegaze and Indie Rock with “Beginning of Life” / “My Maker”

Canadian musician Keegan Powell delivers a double dose of captivating soundscapes with the release of his latest singles, “Beginning of Life” and “My Maker.” With his band, The Jetpacks, Powell revisits these tracks from earlier phases of his career, reimagining them into their definitive forms. The result is a seamless blend of nostalgia and reinvention that captures the raw energy of their live performances.

Initially inspired by the mesmerizing “Eminence Front” by The Who, the song took shape the night before a studio session. Originally recorded for his 2019 EP Is+Was, the track evolved over the years, with Powell describing it as “a blueprint for a song that would never end.” The band’s reprise of the track in 2024 cements its place as an eternal, ever-evolving anthem.

“My Maker” takes a different path. Written in a sudden burst of inspiration, Powell only later recognized its profound theme of rejecting immortality. “As endless as eternity seems to be, I have to laugh in its face and ultimately thank Mother Nature for the chance to live,” he explains. Originally featured on his 2023 album Fear Be Gone, the song captures an indifference to the inevitable while embracing life with fierce resolve. The band’s performance immortalizes their synergy, recorded live in just a few hours at Aaron Goldstein‘s studio in Toronto.

These two tracks are like the first and last chapters of a story coming together to form something entirely new. – Keegan Powell