Radio Sunshine
Some Party is a newsletter sharing the latest in independent Canadian rock'n'roll, curated more-or-less weekly by Adam White. Each edition explores punk, garage, psych, and otherwise uncategorizable indie rock, drawing lines from proto to post and taking some weird diversions along the way.
Is it halfway through the month already? What an inauspicious start to the new year. With several of the country's mainline punk-and-adjacent units issuing new material over the past week, I've got more than I've had time to recap. I'll save the big names for the next edition, but we're kicking off 2025 almost exclusively in the Maritimes.
The Burning Hell"Bottle of Chianti, Cheese and Charcuterie Board"
Watch on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
PEI's optimistically apocalyptic storytellers The Burning Hell have announced their new full-length. Look for Ghost Palace on March 7 through You've Changed Records in North America and BB*Island overseas. You can preview the eleven-song collection through the lead single "Bottle of Chianti, Cheese and Charcuterie Board," described by the band as:
"an off-kilter synth and double-bass hip-shaker about the ways we reduce our lives to the fragments of bourgeois luxury that we can't take with us when we go."
The quirky track is one of two to feature instrumentals from composer Carlie Howell (The Electric Storm Collective, Beverly Glenn-Copeland). They appear as guests alongside Constantines guitarist Steven Lambke, José Contreras of By Divine Right, and Amy Nicoll. Director Graeme Patterson, who assembled the memorable showcase for "Bird Queen of Garbage Island," premieres their video for "Chianti" this Friday. Check your local listings.
The Burning Hell's core remains the duo of Mathias Kom and Ariel Sharratt. Their band again features frequent producer/multi-instrumentalist Jake Nicoll and fiddler/vocalist Maria Peddle. The group primarily recorded at the Souris Show Hall and Fairfield Social Club in PEI throughout 2023 and 2024. Norman Nitzsche mastered at Mokik in Berlin.
While the 11-song Ghost Palace again finds the group pondering the minutia of an uncertain future, they're finding some solace in our collective decline. The band explains:
"Ghost Palace doesn't dwell directly on the end of the world. Instead, the songs assume that our time running out is a foregone conclusion, and focus instead on what we might leave behind when we go, what might endure, and what surprises might be found amidst the remnants. Memory and the debatable usefulness of nostalgia are primary concerns here, peppered with occasional suggestions that we just might still contain the tiny, hopeful seeds of our own redemption through community and balance."
Ghost Palace follows The Burning Hell's 2023 avian-focused end-times LP Garbage Island.
The Monoxides"Radio Sunshine"
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Moncton rock vets The Monoxides kicked off 2025 with "Radio Sunshine," a propulsive power-pop gem far better suited for a summer road trip than the dregs of winter. The band's always proudly channelled their heroes, and true to form, the sonic lineage of Cheap Trick and Thin Lizzy shines brightly here.
While "Radio Sunshine" arrives as the follow-up to 2023's one-off single "Let Her Know," the song's roots reach back nearly 30 years. Lead vocalist and guitarist Steve Hickox commented on that astonishing timeframe:
"Some of our longtime friends and fans may remember us playing 'Radio Sunshine' live as far back as 1998, but we were never quite happy with the song's arrangement. We came back to it over the years, and [guitarist Marco Rocca] recently put finishing touches on it that we're really happy with. It shows the sunnier side of The Monoxides, and is a tip of the cap to a lot of great 1970s power pop bands we all grew up listening to on the radio."
The Monoxides first came to prominence with their 1995 EP Out of the Marsh and the Moe Berg-produced 1997 LP Galaxy of Stooges (the singles "(Can't Get) Excited" and "Little Bitta Rosie" made waves back in the day). The group last issued The Free Release of Energy in 2000 before dropping into a lengthy hiatus.
The Monoxides features vocalist/guitarist Steve Hickox, bassist PJ Dunphy, lead guitarist Derek Robichaud, guitarist/vocalist Marco Rocca, and drummer Ken Kelley.
DéfaillanceSe Rendre Malade...
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Saguenay street punks Défaillance crashed into the new year with Se Rendre Malade..., a new six-song set for Pils Records. The long-running group, active in various configurations since 1999, features vocalist Gagnon, bassist Elpunkos, guitarist Spikedfred, and drummer Gab. This time out, the quartet recorded with engineer Marc Pelletier and strongarmed guest vocal appearances from Grimskunk's Joe Evil and Shantal Arroyo of Overbass.
The new album follows Défaillance's 2023 appearance on the Pils Sessions series. For that, the group tracked a set the label's Gatineau studio NOMANSLAND, tackling an assortment of covers that celebrated everyone from the debauched punk legend GG Allin to deep-cut Quebec groups like Arseniq33, Flokons Givrés, and Inepsy. Défaillance celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2024 with a 17-song comp for the label, remastered for cassette by Chany Pilote.
TeethOutPut Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Charlottetown newcomers TeethOut kicked off 2025 with Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, an energetic EP of faithful 90s skate-punk worship. The five-piece features vocalist Josh Lavigne, guitarists Ira Banks and Brandon Doyle, bassist Pete MacDonald, and drummer Jason Ezeard. You may recognize the latter from his time with the Red Deer punk act Trashed Ambulance (often credited as 'Ozone' on their records and countless side-projects). While he's moved back east, those Alberta ties remain strong, with High End Denim Records boasting the new act as part of their roster. The group commented:
"This EP came together during a whirlwind of changes for us, and we're proud of how it captures both the chaos and the excitement of starting something new. It's amazing to see how [lead single] 'Streetlights' has connected with people so far..."
TeethOut recorded with Edmonton producer Shawn Taggart (Loser Points) at Hog Audio, with Saguenay punk veteran Remy Verreault mastering.
Cut DeepModel Citizen
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
The PEI hardcore scene remains, almost inexplicably, one of the most vibrant in the country. The island's prolific streak shows no signs of slowing in 2025 with the arrival of Cut Deep. The group shared their brutal five-song debut on New Year's Day.
The tough-as-nails Model Citizen features Isaac Morrison on vocals, Charlotte Lloyd (formerly of Supermegatonne) on guitar, Anisa on bass, and Julian Annand drumming. Piercing Damage members Andrew Cormier and Liam Farrel handled the studio work.
Poison SpearInstitutional Trust
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
This may be the most focus Prince Edward Island has ever received in a single edition of this newsletter.
Just days into 2025, the joint PEI/Montreal hardcore project Poison Spear unleashed Institutional Trust, a three-song EP recorded in a whirlwind of activity. I'm not sure if you're allowed to use the term supergroup at this sub-sub-basement of the underground, but the band's roster certainly speaks to the incestuous nature of their scene. Poison Spear features vocalist/guitarist Ben Goss (Prism Shores, White Knuckle, ex-Antibodies), bassist Matt Sheidow (Cell Deth, Uncle, ex-Acousma), drummer Brett "Marnie" Sanderson (Cell Deth, Antibodies), and guitarist Liam "Leeman" Farrel (Piercing Damage, ex-Baited).
I asked Brett, who's always immensely helpful in unravelling the PEI universe for me, about the band's origins. Here's how quickly they came together:
"Ben and I recorded the original demo in summer of 2023 and had different plans for it but Ben ended up slapping some vocals on it and it sounded wild. He was home for the holidays so before that we recruited Matt and Liam. They learned the songs, we rehearsed together twice, played our first show January 3rd, wrote and recorded the new tape on the 4th, and released it the 9th."
You can find the audio at Bandcamp, with tapes arriving soon.
