Met Shaw at Horseshoe Tavern

In mid-1996, Haines and Shaw met at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern. Bonding over a mutual distaste of the music scene, they began dating and writing songs together. In 1997, Shaw released the studio album Life on the Clock which featured Haines singing on some songs. Shaw also moved to Montreal where Haines was living. In 1998, calling themselves Mainstream, the pair self-released the five-song Mainstream EP with an overall downtempo and electronic feel.