Jen Squires

Toronto outfit Tom Boy is kicking off a new era with a tantalizing new single called "How to Become a Drug Dealer," which is premiering today on Variance with an accompanying video.

It's the first release for the band, whose members Nate Daniels and Dante Berardi Jr. previously made up the now-defunct CAIRO. That project ended after a number of personal issues finally forced the group to split.

"While overseas in England, an affair developed in the band," says Tom Boy of their past. "We all knew that we’d have to face the consequences of keeping the affair secret from all ignorant parties upon returning home – it was a literal nightmare."

Instead of facing what looked like the end of their musical journey, Daniels and Berardi embraced their rocky history and joined forces with producer Crispin Day, finding inspiration in the drugs, booze and affairs, turning it into a "cathartic juxtaposition" of confessional lyrics, hazy guitars and fluttering synths.

As the song title might suggest, there's a lot to unpack. And the video, directed by Ben Lewis and Aaron Mirkin, kind of perfectly captures the vibe, which is both eerie and sexy.

"We can’t continue to live the lie that our lives are perfect and shiny," the band says. "Our careers reflect the choices we have made and it’s about time that our songs reflected that as well."

See the video for "How to Become a Drug Dealer" below.