Absolute Treat is the new moniker of the Toronto-based, multi-hyphenate pop group formerly known as Dilettante. Having fully shed the hazy, lo-fi trappings of their previous project (as enveloping and winningly moody as it was), the bandleaders – Natalie Panacci (vocals), Julia Wittmann (vocals; guitar) – have since turned their attention to the dance floor, teasing out threads of inspiration from the intersecting points where disco, pop, rock, and slinky R&B meet.
In 2022, they released their debut album, Dilettante, which UK publication Backseat Mafia described as having “indelible melodies and mountain high anthems.” This established them as a versatile band that can play anything from moody ballads (“Blue”) to spangly uptempo bops (“Bonnie”). It also led to their inclusion in Exclaim! Magazine’s “Class of 2023,” opening slots for bands such as Born Ruffians and The Darcys, and performances at festivals such as Toronto Pride and River & Sky.
Following the name change and a 2025 re-release of Dilettante on their new label, Victory Pool, Absolute Treat have returned with their latest EP, Shattered Love, where they have refined their dynamic sound, delivering the polish and energy of seasoned pop powerhouses.
Shattered Love is a collection of songs that distill the essence of some of pop music’s finest writers and producers from the ’70s and ’80s. The album is replete with spot-the-influence moments, but never in a way that pops one out of the tight, concise listening experience Absolute Treat have constructed. It’s all perfectly sublimated and stylishly executed.
“The Sun” opens up the EP with a surefooted anthem that uncannily recalls choice elements of both Gwen Stefani’s early solo work and late ’70s funk/disco progenitors Chic; on which, co-leader Julia Wittmann’s guitar playing shines throughout, but makes an especially strong initial impact on this tune. The vocals positively radiate; it’s hard not to imagine hearing them amongst the spinning dapples of disco-ball reflections and sweaty bodies in a crowded club; with its cascading melody lines in the verses and singalong-worthy harmonies in the choruses, this opening track reads as something of a mission statement for Shattered Love. After a dramatic dropout mid-song, a saxophone solo hits and a St. Vincent-esque grungy guitar riff slides in underneath, bringing the song home for a final round of that ridiculously catchy chorus.
“Shattered Love” paints a luridly vivid portrait of the streets of Toronto while sounding like a long-lost Prince b-side (maybe jamming with Peter Gabriel), with its mysterious synthesizers, chopping guitar work, and minimal, deeply funky rhythm section (thanks to the hand-in-glove teamwork of drummer Bradley Connor and Zachary Stuckey at the bass). Never staying in one place for long, the hooky chorus in this tune incorporates a more sultry vocal approach before Panacci belts out a raw, insistent refrain of the song’s title.
At times, songs like the title track and closing number “Slow” suggest what might have happened if Kate Bush was less concerned with clouds and running up hills and more focused on lean grooves and making people move their bodies. The songs strike an excellent balance between sophisticated songwriting, clean and imaginative arrangements, and a hugely approachable overall presentation. It works as a musical Trojan Horse, drawing the listener in with a highly agreeable sound palette of synths, guitars, horns, and an all-business rhythm section, then rewarding repeated listens with the band’s nuanced songwriting and pitch-perfect arrangements.
Not all of the musical touchstones on Shattered Love are from decades past. On “Main Street”, it becomes clear that Absolute Treat have kindred spirits in fellow Canadian acts like Tops and U.S. Girls, but have also been mightily buoyed by the mutant funk workouts of Janelle Monae and 21st-century genre-hopping & shredding of St. Vincent. But the band doesn’t ever go too far in hiding its core love of ’80s pop music production, revealed here via one perfectly placed Phil Collins-style gated reverb tom-tom fill, courtesy of Absolute Treat’s nimble and rock-solid drummer Bradley Connor, and the vocals here summon spectres of Madonna, the Queen of Pop, at her most addictive.
“The Door” is a sassy, hot-stepping track that one could imagine Molly Ringwald slipping into a Walkman during a scene from The Breakfast Club. The song’s chorus possesses a snappy rhythmic playfulness that would make Cyndi Lauper blush, and is it possible to detect a whiff of Annie Lennox’s full-throated, passionate singing shining through…?
Shattered Love closes with a lovely track called “Slow”, which may very well be the vocal showcase on the album. The song dials the energy back a tad, but it is shimmering with layers of cascading, ABBA-esque, synth adornments, and the vocals here hint at the grandeur of Canadian vocal icon Celine Dion, with both Wittmann and Panacci truly belting it out in the song’s final moments. From here the tune gently winds down, and it’ll be no surprise when you find yourself reaching for the “play” button again as soon as it’s over.
