Last spring, three best friends from Victoria, B.C. decided to group their musical talents together and start a collective/band called No Prospects. Fisher Smith, Matthew Meyer, and Tommy Irvine have all played music independently for years, and the initiation of their group’s music collective has created an incentivizing space to create and release new music. With a variety of tracks released so far, they have amassed a large and loyal fan base mainly through online identities on TikTok and Instagram. They have accumulated over 180,000 streams on one of their songs called “Over the Shoulder – Demo,” with a few other tracks trailing closely behind. In recent months, they have expanded to performing at open mics and just booked their first opening gig in Victoria. Within the approximate one year of No Prospects Collective, they have designated themselves as prolific and dedicated artists, with a unique and unbreakable bond.
Around this time last year, Fisher had just finished his degree at the University of Alberta and was back home in Victoria for a few months, while Tommy, who goes by the artist name “Bladel,” had just returned home after months of travelling. Matthew and Fisher had planned to record a few songs together, and Matthew and Tommy had been working on music as well. With Tommy and Fisher’s return being around the same time, they all decided to work on and record music together. “All of a sudden, we found ourselves working on a bunch of other stuff too,” said Fisher, “We spent almost every day together for those months working on anything and everything.” This initial collaboration led to their first song, “Decay,” being written while camping on Salt Spring Island, and the idea to form No Prospects. “It became inevitable we had to release some tracks together,” shares Matt.
The name “No Prospects” comes from their elementary school, Prospect Lake Elementary, where the three of them met. Fisher thought of the idea on a ride home with Matt after a recording session at Tommy’s, and it immediately clicked.
The three of them are “constantly evolving in terms of role and instruments,” shares Tommy. While they all do a little of everything, they do have their independent strong suits. Tommy has been producing and playing the piano for years and has recently taken up the guitar. Fisher thrives on the guitar and is now playing the piano and producing. Matthew “can do everything really well.” “I think part of us being a collective and not a band is that we are all equally important,” said Fisher, “We all just do whatever is best for the song.”
Their first release, “Decay,” accompanied by an instrumental track called “Decay-Part 2,” was written seamlessly on Salt Spring Island. “We had some really good moments playing it and coming up with ideas,” said Tommy. The song came together in around three recording sessions, while the instrumental track was written two years prior by Fisher on the guitar and Matt on the piano. They ended up having “Decay-Part 2” played on a local Tofino radio station called Tuff City Radio. Fisher’s family friend runs a show called Dr. Johnston’s Musical Emporium, and offered to play one of their songs. Since then, they have been on a handful of other community/college radio stations.
Fisher had to move back to Edmonton after those two initial months of writing and recording in the spring, so they had to transition into collaborating from a distance. “Something pretty incredible can happen when the three of us are together, so it’s really about trying to capture something similar while apart,” said Fisher. They have released multiple songs that have been written more individually by each of them, but they managed to make most of the songs from their EP Our Little Songs while being apart. While Matt and Tommy were visiting Fisher in Edmonton last August, they recorded their most-streamed song, “Over the Shoulder – Demo”. They recorded the full studio version of the song in Fisher’s family-dining-room-turned-studio with his dad, who has been a recording engineer for most of his life. They released the song in March, and it has already accumulated over 20,000 streams on Spotify.
No Prospects just booked their very first gig at Wicket Hall on May 16, opening for Jon Bryant, a Vancouver-based alternative singer/songwriter. Their opening will be an approximately 20-minute performance of all original No Prospects songs. “It will be really fun first of all,” said Tommy, “and a very trying and testing time for our ability and skill as musicians.” They are selling early-access tickets for $20 through their digital platforms, or tickets are available online through TicketWeb.
No Prospects’ music is a captivating blend of indie, folk, acoustic, and singer/songwriter. The three 23/24 year old artists share not only a connection through their musical endeavours, but also through their lifelong friendship. “The three of us have such a tight bond and love for one another, and I think that translates into the music,” said Fisher. Their story contributes to the music they make, and will continue to make as No Prospects continues into its second year of creating. “I feel we’re bringing new meaning into whatever we’re doing,” said Tommy, “how could you feel like making music with your best friends is ever ‘work’ when it’s always fun.”
If you want to follow No Prospects on their journey, you can find their Instagram page here. You can find Fisher Smith on TikTok here, Tommy Irvine on TikTok here, and Matthew Meyer on TikTok here. They encourage everybody to come to their upcoming gig on Friday, May 16, at Wicket Hall and see the magic live.