Smashing Satellites
Canadian alternative rock band formed by ex-My Darkest Days guitarist.
Smashing Satellites was a Canadian alternative rock group started in 2014 by Sal Costa, who had been the lead guitarist for My Darkest Days. The band is most recognized for the 2016 single "Gamblin' Man." Their output included one full-length studio album, released in 2015, and one EP, which came out in 2014.
Costa left My Darkest Days in early 2013, after the band had put out two successful albums and played arena shows. He immediately announced plans to form his own group. Over the next year and a half, he posted updates on his personal Facebook page, eventually renaming it from "Sal Coz Costa" to "Smashing Satellites" in the summer of 2014. Costa then traveled to Los Angeles with song ideas and worked with producer Bob Marlette. After several months of writing, recording, and experimenting with instruments like live trumpets, dozens of guitars, and vintage keyboards, he returned to Toronto. There he recruited Mick Valentyne on lead guitar, Devon Lougheed on rhythm guitar, and Mykey Thomas on drums.
The new lineup went to Oklahoma to record at Back-Lounge Productions, the studio of Hinder drummer Cody Hanson, whom Costa had met while touring with My Darkest Days. The band announced their debut EP, *SonicAluzion (A-Side)*, in August 2014, releasing it on September 30, 2014. The first single, "Hounds," came out the day before the announcement. They toured heavily around Toronto to support the EP. A second single from the EP, "Waterfall," was released in February 2015 and charted on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart. In April 2015, the band revealed the first single from their debut album, "What It's All About," and said the full album, *SonicAluzion*, would arrive on June 16, 2015. That album included the five songs from the EP plus eight new tracks, and it produced the singles "Hounds," "Waterfall," "What It's All About," "Love Is Forever," and "Living Loud."
In January 2016, the band put out the standalone single "Gamblin' Man," which debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The following year, on May 26, 2017, they released "Benny" as the lead single for a planned EP called *White Elephant*. On October 22, 2017, Costa announced his retirement from music and the end of Smashing Satellites, though he said the *White Elephant* EP would still be released as a gift to fans.
The band's members were Sal Costa (lead vocal
- formed
- 2014
- origin
- Canada
- genre
- Alternative rock
- known_for
- 2016 single 'Gamblin' Man'
- years_active
- 2014–2017
- label
- Independent (via Back-Lounge Productions)
Lore & Background
After releasing two successful albums and selling out arenas with My Darkest Days, Sal Costa departed the band on January 4, 2013, and announced he would form his own band. Throughout 2013 and the first half of 2014, Costa advertised the group via his personal Facebook page, which he renamed from 'Sal Coz Costa' to 'Smashing Satellites' in summer 2014. He traveled to Los Angeles to work with producer Bob Marlette, experimenting with live trumpet players, 40 different guitars, and vintage keyboards and amplifiers, before returning to Toronto to recruit band members Mick Valentyne (lead guitar), Devon Lougheed (rhythm guitar), and Mykey Thomas (drums).
The group traveled to Oklahoma to record at Hinder drummer Cody Hanson's Back-Lounge Productions studio. Their debut EP, 'SonicAluzion (A-Side)', was announced on August 18, 2014, and released September 30, 2014, with the debut single 'Hounds' released the day after the announcement. The band toured extensively in the Toronto area. A second single from the EP, 'Waterfall', debuted at No. 48 on Billboard's Top 50 Alternative on February 12, 2015. Their debut album, also titled 'SonicAluzion', was released June 16, 2015, containing the five EP tracks plus eight new songs, and spawned singles 'Hounds', 'Waterfall', 'What It's All About', 'Love Is Forever', and 'Living Loud'.
On January 8, 2016, the band released 'Gamblin' Man', which debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. On May 26, 2017, they released 'Benny' as the lead single for their second EP, 'White Elephant'. On October 22, 2017, Costa announced his retirement from the music industry and the end of Smashing Satellites, but stated he would still release the 'White Elephant' EP as a gift for fans.
Reader's Guide
Smashing Satellites represents a brief but notable chapter in Canadian alternative rock, emerging from the departure of Sal Costa from the commercially successful My Darkest Days. The band's significance lies in its DIY approach to formation and recording, leveraging Costa's industry connections—such as working with producer Bob Marlette and recording at Cody Hanson's studio—to produce a debut album and two EPs within three years. Their 2016 single 'Gamblin' Man' achieved chart success on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, peaking at number 38, and remains their most recognized work. The band's legacy is that of a short-lived project that fulfilled Costa's creative ambitions before his retirement from music in 2017. While they did not achieve the arena-filling success of Costa's previous band, Smashing Satellites demonstrated how a former band member could independently craft a distinct sound through experimentation with diverse instruments and collaborative songwriting. Their discography, though small, offers a snapshot of mid-2010s alternative rock with a Canadian perspective.
Did You Know?
- Smashing Satellites was formed after Sal Costa left My Darkest Days on January 4, 2013.
- The band's debut EP 'SonicAluzion (A-Side)' was recorded at Hinder drummer Cody Hanson's Back-Lounge Productions studio in Oklahoma.
- The single 'Waterfall' debuted at No. 48 on Billboard's Top 50 Alternative chart on February 12, 2015.
- Costa announced his retirement from music and the end of Smashing Satellites on October 22, 2017.
More in Alternative rock groups from Toronto 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record