Launched by Robert and Richard Gibson in 2008, Optical Sounds works as a collective ‘label’ which is more underpinned by friendships than business - there’s no office, employees, or business plan and the emphasis has been more on live parties than releases. Its activities are centred around a ‘community’ of indie-psych-shoegaze bands with The Embassy Bar in Toronto’s Kensington Market area acting as a social hub.