That principal songwriter and singer of Apostle of Hustle, Andrew Whiteman, spends most of his time in the venerable Broken Social Scene hardly needs to be said. But, since it should be noted, Whiteman puts it best: "Yeah, the Social Scene, it’s my life. It’s a huge influence. In every way, like professionally and personally and musically. It’s huge. It looms large, man!”

Yet Whiteman, through Apostle of Hustle, is a burgeoning force unto himself. The first evidence of his uncanny way with a melody, 2004’s Folkloric Feel, was a dusty, mysterious slice of songs that had been kicking around since before the Social Scene, perfectly tweaked with both world music and conventional indie melodies. It is the newest effort, National Anthem of Nowhere, though, that really puts forth a more confident, sleek and catchier side of Apostle of Hustle.

"Sonically, I don’t know how you get darker than the last record,” he says. "I mean, obviously we’re not a noise or goth band. But we kind of put our chisel in the cracks and opened shit up musically, or texturally. It’s a less dense record than Folkloric Feel was.” Furthering the different approach, Whiteman specifies, "The percussion elements are way stronger and often, you know, there are rhythms that aren’t strictly by the book. If we go into the world music thing, we don’t try to go by the book, obviously. That would be a disaster.”

Indeed, Apostle of Hustle don’t go by any musical playbook, and unlike Whiteman’s one-of-many role in the Social Scene, he’s the driving force for the trio. "I usually get to have the last say unless two people are arguing really well and I lose the argument. But it’s kind of fun that way. If you really want it that bad…” As long as the results are this good, long may he reign.