Firsties and Faves: Avenue

It's entirely appropriate that Avenue's most popular remix is a pulsating, dance floor-ready rework of Tears for Fears' "Shout." The now 21-year-old, born Sam Willows, popped the remix when he was still a teenager and it's since clocked nearly half a million spins. There's a thread between the English duo's hearfelt, yet often darkly soaring songs and Willows' own originals—which can be sampled with the premiere of his debut EP, Keep Counting, below. It's his first proper release after building his name online with a clutch of on-point remixes like the aforementioned "Shout." First song out of the gates, "Last One Out," boasts a kinda krautrock throb married with an 80s pop sensibility, while "Hot Slow Wind" is a sinuous slow-build. In an effort to find out more about the Toronto-based artist, we asked him some ever-probing firsties and faves.

First erogenous zone:
My right hand. Or maybe my left?

Favourite App:
​The pizza pizza app. They did a really job on that one.

First Failure:
I used to write shitty screenplays. Then I found FL Studio lite.

First Success:
Get back to me on that one.

Favorite Fashion Faux Pas:
Wearing the same thing as every other person.

First Near Death Experience:
Back in high school I greened out. Weed is really tight, but so dangerous.

Favorite Canadian Misconception:
People seem to think that it snows in Canada.

First Important Record:
Probably around 4-5 years old. Synchronicity by the Police. It was actually a tape but definitely the first album I recall genuinely loving.

Favorite Person:
My friend Ian (Bagel Bagel)

Favorite Movie:
At the moment, the new Star Wars. It’s pretty great.

Avenue's EP Keep Counting is out via Dine Alone Records on 8.1.