A singer and songwriter who describes her music as "lo-fi alternative drones with a hypnotic vibe," Tess Parks was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Parks grew up in a musical family and had a strong interest in both music and visual art from a young age. When she was 17, she left Canada for the U.K., moving to London to attend art school, where she planned to study photography. However, as she began to investigate the possibilities of the city, Parks abandoned art school, and though she began writing songs and attracting notice as a solo act, she was forced to return to Toronto when her visa ran out. Looking to resume her musical career, in Toronto Parks put out a call that she was looking for "sexy and talented musicians," and ended up assembling a backing band called the Good People featuring guitarist Andrew McGill, bassist Thomas Huntala, and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Paxton-Beesley. In early 2013, Parks and the Good People released an EP, Work All Day/Up All Night, which they financed themselves and released online through Bandcamp. During her time in London, Parks had struck up an acquaintance with Alan McGee, the legendary founder of Creation and Poptones Records; McGee helped guide the careers of the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, two acts Parks has cited as influences. When McGee heard Parks' new music, he signed her to a record deal with his new label, 359 Music. Parks' first full-length album, Blood Hot, was released by 359 in November 2013. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi