TOUCHED FABLES
TOUCHED FABLES is a post-punk / darkwave duo from Ottawa, Canada, formed in 2022 by Paul Anthony and Jim Roditis. They are known for their dark melodic synths, angular guitar tones, and lyrics exploring themes of nostalgia, loss and isolation. The music of TOUCHED FABLES reverberates with Gothic echoes of Cold War bands such as Bauhaus, Clan of Xymox, Ultravox, as well as the industrial beats of Front Line Assembly.
next show
Friday December 12th 2025
8:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Casa Del Popolo
4873 St Laurent
Montreal
About
With their distinctive blend of atmospheric electronics, post-punk grit, and cinematic storytelling, TOUCHED FABLES have steadily carved out a devoted following since their debut release. Their first full-length, A Thousand Goodbyes, earned glowing reviews from critics and fans alike, praised for its haunting melodies, immersive production, and emotional depth. Music blogs hailed the album as “existing in both a dream-hue version of the past and of the future” (Post-Punk.com) and “expertly and confidently fusing ’80s synth-pop, new wave, goth, techno, and post-punk into their own gorgeously grim darkwave hybrid” (Tinnitus). The duo now return with their second full-length album, The Sum of All Wounds, was released in October 2025 on vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats.
BAND PHOTOGRAPHY: Christine Roditis
FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Mag Odnad
Electronic Press Kit
Just one week after TOUCHED FABLES celebrated a successful release party for their debut album A Thousand Goodbyes, an unexpected illness struck the guitarist’s family. “Any plans to play more shows were cut short, and weak immune systems meant staying home and avoiding large crowds. We obviously took a long break from music,” says vocalist Paul Anthony.
Fortunately, the music spoke for itself. At one point, every single track from their 2023 debut was playlisted in dozens of countries around the world.
Jim Roditis: “The support and feedback for A Thousand Goodbyes was incredible. The reviews were all super positive as well. We really connected with a lot of new people.”
Paul Anthony: “Almost a year later, we were able to return to the stage and started working on new songs. There was a huge turnout at our second gig, and I think our unintentional absence actually created some anticipation here in our hometown of Ottawa. Playing live was also a great way to test out new material. Some tracks we thought were strong fell flat, while others consistently had people dancing. We took this knowledge back into the studio to fine-tune our new album, The Sum of All Wounds. We also had the pleasure of opening for Xeno & Oaklander last fall, which really made us feel like we were operating on a professional level. It was a huge honour to share the stage with them.”
Jim Roditis: “The gap year gave us time to evaluate and plan where to go next. Those live shows were key. We realized we could write a mix of ‘listen-at-home’ tracks and others that really worked well on the dancefloor. Staying true to our premise that TOUCHED FABLES is the music we wish we could have made when we were younger, two years after our debut puts us around 1988—when early industrial records were emerging from Europe. The percussion on this album reflects that era, and the guitars are much more prominent and aggressive.”
Paul Anthony: “We’re not only referencing classic post-punk bands, but we’re also mining the same territory as more contemporary acts like Twin Tribes and Drab Majesty. The harder sound on this album also helped me find my voice. I consciously tried to sing with more sustained tones compared to the last release—less clipped. I guess I was able to push the boat out a bit more with the distorted guitars supporting my vocals. It gave me confidence.”
Jim Roditis: “Paul was up to his usual tricks producing this record—hiding inside jokes and Easter eggs within the lyrics. The album, for instance, is exactly the same length as Japan’s Tin Drum. That’s no coincidence. I remember the day Paul told me if you start playback of the vocals in our track Never Let Me Down at the same time as Lords of the New Church’s 1983 song Dance With Me, the word ‘reprieve’ overlaps. There are all sorts of things like that hidden in our records.”
Paul Anthony: “The tone of the album really came together once we settled on the cover art. I kept running into someone at my solo gigs supporting Japanese drummer Mineo Kawasaki. That person turned out to be Mag Odnad, a talented local photographer who works with film. We live in an era where anyone can take pristine, high-res digital photos on their phones, but there’s something magical and charming about old media. It’s funny how the flaws of a format eventually become the things that define it—cassette hiss, wobbly VCR tracking, the grain of high-ASA film. Mag’s bleak photo of the northeast coast of Scotland perfectly captured the forlorn, cold feeling we were trying to convey. Ironically, the photo was taken with expired 1985 Kodak VR 1000 film and an Olympus Trip 35—both from the same decade we’re channeling musically. There was no other choice, really, for the cover photo. It was too good of a coincidence.”
A record release party for TOUCHED FABLES – The Sum of All Wounds was held on Saturday, October 18th 2025, at The House of Targ in Ottawa.
The album is available on 12-inch, 180g Gothic black vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats.
The band also plans to perform in Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, and London, Ontario.
Reviews / Interviews
"From the punchy kick drums and pulsing synths that open In Your Eyes to the blazing guitars that menace Cenotaph and Never Let Me Down, on to the final catharsis of the beautifully bleak closer Bird Of Prey, this album sharply and distinctly raises the bar set by its predecessor. And it proves again that TOUCHED FABLES are far more than the sum of their parts."
"Ottawa Darkwave Duo Touched Fables Explore the Architecture of Despair with The Sum of All Wounds. Touched Fables build their world not through grand gestures but through precision and control. Every tone feels reasoned; every silence, intentional."
"Creating music for this album was a bit like lying in bed trying to plan what you are going to dream about that night. Inevitably the results are always more interesting than anything you could have hoped for. That's the thing that drives us forward, that sense of adventure, not knowing the true destination of a piece of music until it is fully formed and completed. We certainly felt a lot more confident in our abilities this time around, and as such pushed the boat out more with new ideas."
"This new work is heavier and more aggressive, incorporating late ’80s industrial elements and prominent guitars, and finds the duo honoring their classic influences while aligning with modern darkwave acts. Anthony and Roditis infused the record with technical Easter eggs and cinematic storytelling, perfectly encapsulated by the cover art: a bleak photograph taken with expired 1985 film, capturing the cold, defining aesthetic of their music."
Weekly Post-Punk // Darkwave - Dark Synth Tips / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / October 21st 2025
Podcasts / Support / Radio Airplay / 2025 +
Nadine / Oliver‘s Twist Anspieltipps / Touched Fables - Nothing Undone / January 11th 2025
Adriana Ciccone / Echo Chamber - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Cold Arms / February 10th 2025
RealPhillipCarter / real smooth weirdness / Touched Fables - Cold Arms / March 5th 2025
DJ Overload Presents Love Is Surrender (Washington, US) - May 2025 Continuous DJ Mix / Touched Fables - Cold Arms / May 1st 2025
Dark Soul Radio / Episode 176 - Touched Fables - Only You Could Know / May 8th 2025
Flyflewradio (Rosenheim, Germany) / The Afternoon-Music-Mix on Flyflew Radio / Touched Fables - Hope In a Blackened Heart / July 11th 2025
Nice Noise (Italy) / Indie alternative music / Touched Fables - Tears I Cannot Hide / September 23rd 2025
Charles / djcharly hot 100 - 28.09.2025 / Touched Fables - Tears I Cannot Hide / September 28th 2025
Konstantinos Kourkounakis (Chania, Greece) / Touched Fables - Tears I Cannot Hide / September 30th 2025
Akill Char (Athens, Greece) / ElektroSpank - Online Music Magazine / "The Sum Of All Wounds" / October 1st 2025
Jeff Larocque / Thursday Morning Special Blend - CKCU - 93.1 FM (Ottawa, CAN) / Interview / October 2nd 2025
Tic / Wednesday Morning Special Blend - CKCU - 93.1 FM (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Nothing Undone / October 8th 2025
Dark Soul Radio / Episode 178 - Touched Fables - Hope In A Blackened Heart / October 8th 2025
Candace Nelson / Candyshop 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / October 10th 2025
Carolus Cat Noir (Guadalajara, Mexico) / Touched Fables - Hope In A Blackened Heart / October 10th 2025
Nathanael Newton / Monday Special Blend 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Sunlight Falls + Forever / October 13th 2025
Andrew Pakuts / Lost in Bass 452 - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Chillloverradio.net / Touched Fables - Cenotaph / October 14th 2025
Martha Walsh / Mar's Local Connection 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Forever / October 14th 2025
Jeff Larocque / Thursday Special Blend 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Cenotaph / October 16th 2025
Roberto González (Les Preses, Spain) / Ondas Atlánticas / Ràdio La Vall 107.6 FM/ Episodio 213 / Touched Fables - Forever / October 16th 2025
Alfonso Grande / Sound in the Distance (Zaragoza, Spain) / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 17th 2025
Tinnitist / Touched Fables Boldly Calculate The Sum Of All Wounds / The Sum of All Wounds Album Review / October 17th 2025
Agustin Vega Rodriguez ( Spain) / The Global Goth Underground / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 17th 2025
Silence Blue / Music Oblique. Darkwave, New wave. Goth, Synthwave, Industrial / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 17th 2025
Bogusław Lebioda (Ariel Heart) / (Katowice, Poland) / Touched Fables - Never Let Me Down / October 17th 2025
Vlastimil Veselský (Czech Republic) / Music of the 21st century / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 17th 2025
Angel in the Dark (Greece) / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 18th 2025
Switched-On-Synths / House of Targ (Ottawa, CAN) Touched Fables (Record Release) + Voyageur Statique + Perestroika + Frissons / October 18th 2025
Stig Helmer (Paris, France) / Alternative music / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 18th 2025
Łukasz Black Maślak (Poland)/ Back To The Minimal & Dark Wave &... / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / October 18th 2025
kaneumann / That's 20's / Touched Fables - Tears I Cannot Hide / October 18th 2025
SOTKINE Stéphane (Toulon, France) / Electro 1515 Ix / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 18th 2025
Заря / #post_punk #darkwave #synth #goth/ Touched Fables - In Your Eyes / October 18th 2025
Darkwave Frequency / Silence Blue / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 18th 2025
MUSHIKA / PLAYPLAY / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 18th 2025
Greg Death / 2025.10.18C / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 18th 2025
Sebastian Formanowski (Dresden, Germany) / Darkwave-Coldwave-Postpunk-Goth / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 19th 2025
Stephane Bouchereau / A découvrir / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 20th 2025
Ignaraptor (Spain) / Ignaraptor's memories / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 20th 2025
Iam Noone / Synth Minimal Wave / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 20th 2025
Silent Waves Radio (Cuenca, Ecuador) / Ep. 62 / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / October 21st 2025
White Light / White Heat / Weekly Post-Punk // Darkwave // Dark Synth Tips / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / October 21st 2025
Miguel Sanchez Gonzalez (Santa Marta De Ortigueira, Spain) / WAVES / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 22nd 2025
Tadek Dudziński (Lodz Voivodeship, Poland) / goth dark new wave / Touched Fables - Forever / October 23rd 2025
Juan Villegas / 2025_7 / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 23rd 2025
Heavy Ben / Chance Meeting - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN)/ Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 24th 2025
LarryBrent242 (Leipzig, Germany) / ALTERNATIVE INDIE MIX / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 24th 2025
Ulisses Mantovani / Gothic Music releases / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 24th 2025
Silence Blue / Darkwave/Goth/Other ||| / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 24th 2025
djcharly hot 100 - 28.09.2025 / Touched Fables - Tears I Cannot Hide / October 24th 2025
Marc Chessé / Rock/Alternatif/DarkWave/ColdWave/PostPunk / Touched Fables - Bird of Prey / October 24th 2025
Radio Nachtflug (Bonn, Germany) / Playlist from 24.10.2025 with hat / Touched Fables - Forever / October 24th 2025
Tadek Dudziński (Lodz Voivodeship, Poland) / wiesz.. / Touched Fables - Forever / October 24th 2025
nerio urbano alva (Cusco, Peru) / Cold wave, dark wave, gothic rock, parte II / Touched Fables - Forever / October 24th 2025
EggNoggDreams / Gazing Sun / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 24th 2025
Flyflewradio (Rosenheim, Germany) / LUNCH BREAK: The "Flyflew" lunch break / Touched Fables - Sunlight Falls / October 25th 2025
93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Top Albums Oct 13 to Oct 19th 2025 / Touched Fables - The Sum of All Wounds = Number 4 / October 25th 2025
Flyflewradio (Rosenheim, Germany) / Deɾ Extɾɑ-Schluck Musik ɑm Moɾgen! / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / October 26th 2025
Haunted House / Touched Fables - Forever / October 26th 2025
pino'cleen / pino'cleen / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 26th 2025
Audrey Pridham / Daydream Frequencies - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - In Your Eyes / October 27th 2025
Boston Free Radio / She Likes It Heavy / Show 582 / Touched Fables - Burning / October 28th 2025
Kieran Cantwell-Bowditch / Notes From The Underground - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Burning / October 28th 2025
William Barlow / #tnims / Touched Fables - Cenotaph / October 29th 2025
David James (Toronto, CAN) / MOOVIN IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION RADIO CIUT 89.5 FM / Touched Fables - Tears I Cannot Hide / October 29th 2025
Despierta Mar del Plata (Spain) / Touched Fables - Nothing Undone / October 30th 2025
DJ Wildhoney (Tienen, Belgium) / DARK SIGNS 072 / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / October 30th 2025
Flyflewradio (Rosenheim, Germany) / Hot... But Dark: The Hit-Mix Of The Alternative Charts / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / October 31st 2025
Flyflewradio (Rosenheim, Germany) / MUSIC FOR DINNER / Touched Fables - In Your Eyes / November 1st 2025
Adriana Ciccone / Echo Chamber - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Harsh Rain / November 3rd 2025
Candace & Lia / Mix No Sense - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Cenotaph / November 4th 2025
Alison Cooper (Chicago, US) / Sound Obscura / Que4 Radio / show 11/05/25 / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / November 5th 2025
Jay Function / Mapped Out Radio - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / November 7th 2025
Despierta Mar del Plata (Spain) / Touched Fables - Nothing Undone / November 8th 2025
CKCU Weekly Top 10 Nov 3 - Nov 9 (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - The Sum of All Wounds / November 10th 2025
Post-Punk.com / Album Review / Ottawa Darkwave Duo Touched Fables Explore the Architecture of Despair with “The Sum of All Wounds” / November 11th 2025
DraculaRock777 (Portugal) / #darkwave #minimalsynth #80s Artista / Touched Fables - Only You Could Know / November 13th 2025
Flyflewradio (Rosenheim, Germany) / MUSIC FOR DINNER / Touched Fables - Forever / November 16th 2025
Agustin Vega Rodriguez ( Spain) / The Global Goth Underground / Touched Fables - Cold Arms / November 18th 2025
COLD TRANSMISSION (Frankfurt, Germany) / COLD WHISPER 19.11.25 / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / November 19th 2025
DJ Underminer (Binghamton, NY USA) / eMpTyVeeTV New Music O’ Clock / Touched Fables - Bird Of Prey / November 19th 2025
Opalfvens Chriske (Belgium) / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / November 19th 2025
Malek / Mapped Out Radio - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - INTERVIEW & Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / Tears I Cannot Hide / Forever / In Your Eyes / November 21st 2025
Mick Mercer (London, UK) / SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND? / Touched Fables - The Sum of All Wounds / November 21st 2025
OK Doomer (Montreal, CAN) / CISM 89.3 FM / Ep.54 / Touched Fables - Tear I Cannot Hide / November 22nd 2025
Pabby 88 / From the Past / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / November 24th 2025
Infectiousuneaseradio Noircorps Subterraneanzone (Victoria, Australia) / Touched Fables Explore the Architecture of Despair with “The Sum of All Wounds” / November 24th 2025
Audrey Pridham / Daydream Frequencies - 93.1 FM CKCU (Ottawa, CAN) / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / November 24th 2025
Kurt Ingels (Belgium) / Dark Entries - Online Muziek Magazine / Clips a go go / Touched Fables - Forever / November 26th 2025
Canadian Beats Magazine / Touched Fables Share Latest Album, The Sum of All Wounds (Interview) / November 26th 2025
Despierta Mar del Plata (Spain) / Touched Fables - Nothing Undone / November 27th 2025
Flyflewradio (Rosenheim, Germany) / Deɾ Extɾɑ-Schluck Musik ɑm Moɾgen! / Touched Fables - Forever / November 28th 2025
Mophead / Horizon Broadening Hour / CKMS-FM 102.7 Radio (Waterloo, CAN) / Touched Fables - The Sum of All Wounds / December 1st 2025
DJ Niggels (Münster, Germany) / Modern Grey / Touched Fables - What Could Have Been / December 1st 2025
Jérôme Croizemarie (Angoulême, France) / FRONTIERE ROCK (French Radio Show) / Touched Fables - Tears I Cannot Hide / December 2nd 2025
