Kue Varo and The Only Hopes

There’s an irresistible electricity to Kue Varo (she/they). The Calgary-based musical polymath and powerhouse bandleader balances playfulness and depth, blending psych-folk and indie rock that screams—in Kue’s words—“We don’t have to pretend to be uninteresting!”

Inspired by surrealists across artforms, including Kurt Vonnegut, David Lynch, and Remedios Varo (Kue Varo’s namesake), Kue’s technicolour songs know no bounds. With a keen eye and a witty pen, Kue tackles everything from sensuality to religion to disinformation. What emerges are kinetic odes to the power of art itself, the stakes made clear when they belt: “the economy wishes it could be the god of every fate / But nothing beats the thrill of making what begs to be made.”

Kue Varo’s songs show the power of art as a lens for exploring and reclaiming ourselves. Their music captures the absurd complexity of being alive right now, and invites playful exploration into the picture. As Kue puts it: “We need joy for our rage.”