Brutal Planet
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 March? Wow, I'm late to publish. What can I say? Existential threats are distracting as hell. Here's what some of our nationally renown guitar deviants have been up to while I've been staring into the void.
Golden ShittersBrutal Planet
Watch on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Hamilton's scuzzy punk supergroup Golden Shitters are back with Brutal Planet, their sophomore 12" arriving this Friday through Ugly Pop Records. The collection promises twelve songs delivered with proudly lowbrow charm in the lunkheaded lineage of the Ramones. Through that lens, the Shitters channel The Spits's deadpan drone and Screeching Weasel's bratty snot. It's a tried-and-true sound, but so perfect in its inception, there's a reason we always come back to it. You can see the title track celebrated in a new video (yes, that's Patrick and Ripley from Pack Rat in the starring roles).
On this round, the Shitters maintain their core lineup of Matt Ellis (Anxious Pleasers, The Vapids) and Dave Tyson (Dark Trip, Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs) trading off guitar, bass, and vocals, backed by The Dirty Nil's Kyle Fisher on drums. The group self-recorded with Dave mixing and Sean Pearson (TV Freaks, the Black Halos) mastering.
Ugly Pop lauds the band's old-school approach, likewise promising a no-gimmicks run on black vinyl. They boast:
"all the reckless speed and raw tunes, plus tasty guitar flash and lyrics very much of our time. This stuff will never, ever get old as long as it's executed with the spirit and power found here in spades... It's punk rock with bad taste and a B-movie bathroom budget."
The new record follows Golden Shitters' 2024 EP Love Blows, a digital-only live record captured at Hamilton's Vertagogo, and their self-titled 2023 LP.
Loud HandsLoud Hands
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Hamilton also recently saw the full-length debut of Loud Hands, a grungy indie-rock quartet. The project features brothers Shane and Matt Cabral sharing guitar and vocal duties, backed by a rhythm section featuring their cousin, drummer Zander Lamothe, and bassist/vocalist David O'Connor. You'll likely recognize the latter as the bombastic Sweet Dave of powerhouse punks TV Freaks. His role here is comparatively one of restraint, appearing almost as a mentor to what's otherwise a family affair.
Dave announced the project and the band's first show a few weeks back, graciously calling Loud Hands:
"...the silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud. A tiny little rosebud growing out of a crack in the concrete. Two brothers, a cousin and me. Brothers writing songs together has a magic that I can't really explain but I'm so happy to be a part of it."
O'Connor recorded the group last year, with mixing and mastering handled in Australia by the ever-present Mikey Young (Dumb, Itchy Self, Motorists). You can find the ten-song self-titled set streaming everywhere and available to download at Bandcamp.
Private Lives"Psychic Beat"
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Montreal power pop/garage punk/post-something-or-other quartet Private Lives have their sophomore album on deck. Salt of the Earth arrives March 21 through Cincinnati's Feel It Records, as previewed through the peppy new single "Psychic Beat." The song shows some welcome carryover of the attitude-driven girl-group energy vocalist Jackie Blenkarn once used to great effect with the Pale Lips. It's one of 10 songs from the new record. You can see it performed in an appropriately jittery new video from Alan Hildebrandt of Studio Del Scorpio.
Private Lives features Blenkarn backed by her spouse Chance Hutchison (PRIORS) on guitar, with bassist Josh Herlihey (Plastic Act), and drummer Drew Demers (also of PRIORS) holding down the low-end. Hutchison engineered and mixed the album with the aforementioned Mikey Young mastering.
The new record follows the group's 2023 debut Hit Record, and promises a further evolution from the band's origins as Chance and Jackie's lockdown-era timekiller. Paperface Zine's Joe Massaro lauds the album for "undercutting power pop conventions and challenging itself track after track."
DVTR"Né pour flâner"
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The new single from frenetic Quebec synth-punk duo DVTR offers a reprieve from the heavier topics with an ode to idleness. "Né pour flâner" (born to loiter) arrived earlier this month via Lisbon Lux Records, alongside a camcorder video chronicling the band's recent Asian tour.
The group commented on their uncharacteristically upbeat approach to the track:
"We've been lashing out at everything with our music recently: patriarchy, the death industry, corrupt cops, the goddamn Olympics and whatnot. 2025 is kumbaya, so here's some POSITIVE energy, with a track about something DVTR loves, for once. Loitering! Let's bring loitering back in style, ok bye."
The new single follows a busy year that saw DVTR tour Japan, South Korea, the UK, and Europe while making festival appearances at major events like Osheaga. They capped 2024 with a sold-out hometown gig at Montreal's Foufounes Électriques and took home three awards at the GAMIQ gala (including punk album of the year).
Hailed as a cross between the B-52s and Jay Reatard, DVTR features Demi Lune (Laurence G-Do) and Jean Divorce (JC Tellier), both formerly of the Montreal electropop act Le Couleur. Tellier also has roots in the Chicoutimi rock group Gazoline. The band released their Bonjour (BIS) EP in November 2024.
Real SickiesUnder a Plastic Bag
Watch at "Triage" at YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Edmonton pop-punk mainstays Real Sickies are readying their fifth full-length. Under a Plastic Bag arrives March 14 through Stomp Records, with the singles "Triage" and "Should've Seen It Coming" now streaming. The new material finds the band expanding from their well-honed foundation of Ramones and Buzzcocks worship to incorporate new wave, power pop, and indie rock flavours. The album finds the Sickies working with producer Josh Wells (Autogramm, Black Mountain), who played a prominent role in guiding the group's new direction.
Discussing "Triage," the record's first single, the producer commented:
"This song reminds me, at first, of being on adderall. Random thoughts, itchy eyes, the urge to rock really fast. But then, the song settles into a sick, focused motorik jam. Here we get some alien percussion floating down from another universe to join in and rocket ahead. For a moment, the human jam fuses with the aliens, but then the relationship deteriorates, the humans get mad and break out, the whole thing ending with a total meltdown."
Director Jesse Nash treats the single to a clever new video treatment featuring miniature models handcrafted by vocalist Ben Disaster. Ben wrote the song with the perspective of having just survived a major car accident with his family.
The band also recently shared a video for the track "Should Have Seen It Coming." That piece, directed by Tyler Hall, finds the band finds the Sickies performing in an unheated garage in -20 degree weather. On the song, Ben Disaster shared:
"It's about patterns, not being able to accept consequences, or finally coming to. There's not much more meaning to it other than just smashing one's own teeth with a microphone. Musically it explores some new emotions. Maybe. Hindsight right?"
The new record follows up on 2022's EP Danny, It's Not Your Birthday and the Love is for Lovers LP from the year prior.
AutogrammRandy
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Speaking of Autogramm, the Vancouver-rooted new wavers recently shared a new single through Dirt Cult and Goodwill Records. The goodhearted "Randy" is another in the band's impressive streak of synth-driven earworms. The track, originally slated for inclusion on 2023's Music That Humans Can Play, finds the group offering tongue-in-cheek lyrical encouragement to the ambitions of the drummer's cat ("If you think you wanna jump up on that countertop, well baby you've got the tools"). Josh "The Silo" Wells explained:
"It's a letter to a good friend, in need of a little confidence push. Everyone needs an ego boost sometimes. Even if they're a cat."
The DEVO-indebted "Randy" arrives backed by a cover of "Jenny's In A Sleep World," a 1979 track by Canadian punk legends The Diodes. A press release notes that the Toronto pioneers have enthusiastically endorsed Autogramm's take.
The vinyl 7" follows the band's recent single "Diana" and arrives as they prepare for a March tour of Spain. Autogramm features Jiffy Marx (Night Court), The Silo (Black Mountain, Destroyer), CC Voltage (The Spitfires, The Black Halos), and Lars Von Seattle (Bread & Butter).
PACKS"Before I Was Bleeding"
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Toronto's Madeline Link recently shared a new one-off single from her compellingly slow-burning PACKS project. "Before I Was Bleeding" provides a wonderfully tranquil detour for whatever chaos you're navigating, underscored by a bass clarinet Link plays on the recording. Madeline sings and plays acoustic guitar on the sparse tune, accompanied by Diego Parragué of Chile's Laos Kollective on keys.
The new song surfaced a few weeks ago for the band's Patreon subscribers. It follows Melt The Honey, PACKS' January 2024 full-length through Fire Talk Records (a quick follow-up to their Crispy Crunchy Nothing LP from just a few months prior). Honey found Link writing and recording between Toronto, Mexico City, and Chile. PACKS' full-band lineup for those sessions featured guitarist Dexter Nash, bassist Noah O'Neil, and drummer Shane Hooper.
MonkDark Side of the Mind
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The mindfulness-minded LA-via-Sudbury hardcore project Monk returns next month with Dark Side of the Mind, their second EP for Dine Alone Records. The set lands April 25, with two punishing advance singles streaming now: the title track (featuring Brendan Murphy of Hamilton metalcore veterans Counterparts) and "Chains." Jovanni Martinez directed the video for the former.
Vocalist Frank Bach (Vicious Cycle) commented on the EP's thematic direction, particularly the title track:
"Dark Side delves into the struggle of self-exploration and confronting the hidden, often darker, aspects of the mind. If Rock was the light side, this is the opposite— questioning one's understanding of life and grappling with the emotional weight of guilt, trauma, and unresolved pain, encouraging you to confront your fears, doubts, and unspoken truths. The song is about the courage it takes to face inner struggles and make peace with the haunting aspects of the human psyche."
The band self-produced the new collection, recording at Camera Varda (the Welland, Ontario studio of The Outfit's Romano brothers) and LA's Pirate Studios. Alex Jacobellli mixed at Sunsick Studio, with Jon Drew mastering.
Monk solidified their lineup in the time since 2023's Rock EP. That early iteration saw Bach collaborate remotely with Daniel and Ian Romano of Attack In Black. The band now features LA-local backing from guitarist Scott Savarie (Cure for Youth, Black Lungs), bassist Connor McKenna (Headspin), and drummer Jesse Kalamian (Hatespeech).
The Good Brothers&The Sadies"Now That You're Gone"
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The 2022 death of Dallas Good continues to echo through the Canadian music landscape, but the latest tribute to the beloved musician comes from somewhere very personal. Legendary country trio The Good Brothers, featuring Dallas' father and uncles, returned with their first new music since 2017 to pay tribute to the late Sadies guitarist. "Now That You're Gone," a collaboration with the surviving Sadies members, arrived in February to mark the third anniversary of Dallas' passing.
The Good Brothers formed in the early 70s, rising to fame after touring on the legendary Festival Express train alongside legends like Janice Joplin, The Band, and the Grateful Dead. The trio features Dallas' father, Bruce, and his uncles, Brian and Larry Good. On the new song, Bruce shared:
"After the sudden passing of my son Dallas, I hoped that expressing my feelings through music might soften the blow of such a profound loss. This song became my therapy and helped diminish the everlasting pain."
The collective performs the single in a new video from director Corey Kelly. The Good Brothers recently linked up with Collingwood, Ontario producer Graham Trude to record for his Countrycore Records label. Their next record will follow up on 2017's Wide Awake Dreamin'.
The Sadies released the Polaris shortlisted Colder Streams - the last album Dallas played on - in July of 2022 through Dine Alone and Yep Roc Records.Now operating as a trio, guitarist/vocalist Travis Good, bassist Sean Dean, and drummer Mike Belitsky recently issued a full-length of new material in collaboration with Dallas' longtime creative partner Rick White (Eric's Trip, Elevator). The 13-song Rick White and the Sadies arrived last summer through Blue Fog Recordings.
