“Everybody in the band is an avid dreamer,” says Alex Pulec, guitarist and songwriter of Sadie May Crash, whose kaleidoscopic sound is a mixture of theatrical pop and 60s rock ‘n’ roll. “We’re obsessed with things that are surreal…we get excited by things that are out of touch with reality—it’s what we do.”

The members of Sadie May Crash played in different bands at their Toronto high school, but when each group fell apart, the four core members were left searching for musical counterparts. Pulec and his elegant lead singer, Paige Boy, were free to collaborate, meeting up with bassist Mike McDonnell and drummer Jason Cipparone soon after.

“Paige was one of the only people who listened to all of the music I listened to,” comments Pulec about their early days. “We bonded over writing songs—it’s hard to find people like that. The two of us started writing tons of songs, and Mike and Jason entered the picture later on. They’re totally creative, and we all put our own spin [on the band’s sound].”

“The name comes from a lot of things,” he continues. “We kind of had an obsession with this fictional entity named ‘Sadie,’ and Paige just put the words together. We’d write songs, and we’d want to play them—but we were so nervous. When people would ask who wrote the songs, we’d say, ‘Sadie—yeah, you don’t know her….’ We like the element of unpredictability to it, we don’t want to do anything that people have heard before.”

The band has come a long way since the days when they attributed all their work to an imaginary svengali. Sadie May Crash have established themselves as a force in the local underground scene—releasing a four-song demo, winning a Toronto Independent Music Award last summer, and headlining the Mod Club on New Year’s Eve. This Sunday, the band celebrates another milestone, playing the Wavelength Music Series at Sneaky Dee’s, an event that’s considered by many to be the height of the independent music scene in Toronto.

“We have lots of new songs—we’re constantly writing.” says Pulec. “But we’ve always been focused on our live show…there’s sort of a feeling that you get addicted to when you’re standing on stage. You work, you put your blood, sweat, tears, and energy into something—and that’s the one moment when it’s exploding out.”

The creative upstarts recently realized another dream—building their own rehearsal space. They took over an abandoned house set for demolition and, along with local experimental band London Parachutes, ripped out the carpets and covered the walls with surrealist paintings. Bursting with colour and life, the space has become an artistic haven to work and play music.

“We’re kind of like a bunch of sponges. Wherever we live, play, or hang out—we just kind of suck everything up, and then it oozes out of each of us in our own way. We’re inspired by everything that’s circling around us.”

The new studio might be the perfect place to let the surreal spin of their minds filter into the planning of their debut album—which Pulec says is the band’s next step. But the demolition date looms, and bulldozers may soon crash into Sadie May Crash—but then again, they say that conflict is the god of all creation.

Sadie May Crash play the Wavelength Music Series at Sneaky Dee’s (431 College Street) this Sunday. Doors are at 9:30 p.m.