Latest Pull
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.
Pack Rat: Life's a Trap
Watch "Sleepless" on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Vancouver's Pack Rat take a significant leap on Life's a Trap. While Patrick McEachnie's co-conspirators haven't changed since their last EP, they've gelled, and a full-length gives them the space to show it off. The sound you hear on "Sleepless," the record's first single, feels miles ahead of the group's origin as a lockdown solo effort. This isn't a new observation, and Pat said as much when Bite My Tongue landed last summer, but whatever new chemistry was at play there has reached an equilibrium on their sophomore LP.
The band boasts that hard-won confidence on "Sleepless," a garage-snot gem with guitarist Bella Bébê on vocals. That's a bold choice for a lead single, given how McEachnie's rapid-fire shouts and yelps are so distinctive, but it drives the point that this is now a fully functioning band. Their roster finds Pat and Bella sharing guitar and vocals duties, backed by bassist Ripley McEachnie and drummer Tony Dallas (Tony and Bella do double duty in Bratboy, so Pack Rat doubtlessly benefits from some pre-established chemistry). The new record, arriving through Drunken Sailor, features 13 new songs, recorded and mixed by Jesse Gander (Wares, Woolworm, Necking) at Rain City. Daggermouth's Stu McKillop mastered the set.
Eloise Cameron-Smith directed the video for "Sleepless," now playing on YouTube. A clip for the record's second single, "Neighbours," is also online. It features a compilation of hijinks from the road with live footage by Sam Weir. Interestingly, neither pre-release track quite captures Pack Rat playing at full throttle, so you're in for a treat when the record's available this Friday. It's worth it for Dallas' machine gun drumming on the opening track alone.
Pat McEachnie drums in Vancouver's relentless Chain Whip and, before the pandemic, fronted the now-defunct Corner Boys. Bite My Tongue arrived last year through Under The Gun Records and Turbo Discos. Fans of the early 2000s Dirtnap roster (Exploding Hearts, Marked Men, The Briefs, et al.) should find plenty to love here.
Uptights: Logistical Daydream
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Speaking of Jesse Gander, the recording engineer quietly stepped out from behind the boards and shared an EP from his band last month. Logistical Daydream is a compelling four-song set from Uptights, following up on their 2020 LP Back Again. The power-pop act finds Gander on keys and vocals, backed by bassist Sarah Sangster, guitarist Jason Stevenson, and drummer Berf. They, of course, worked at Gander's home base of Rain City Recorders.
Given Jesse's day job, it's no surprise that this one sounds great—bright, punchy, and propulsive.
Malcolm Bauld: "Latest Pull"
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Frenetics principal Malcolm Bauld channels latter-day Joe Strummer on his new single. "Latest Pull" finds the Montreal indie vet crafting a hooky shuffle atop a dub bassline. It's a world-weary slow jam with enough subtly layered instrumentation to channel the Mescaleros at their best. The track finds Bauld backed by drummer Aidan Girt (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Some Become Hollow Tubes, OSB) and showcases artwork by Melanie Garcia.
The new single is the second from Bauld this year, breaking a sixteen-year gap in original material. He issued "Imaginary Son" in May, his first since 2008's solo LP Covered In Dust. A few months back, the artist also revisited his early band's catalogue with pensive new renditions of Frenetics classics. These included a timely revival of "Journalist" (from 2004's Grey Veins To The Parking Lot) and a piano ballad rendition of "Are You Waiting?" (from 2001's These Mistakes Took Years Of Practice).
The Bauld-Strummer association goes deeper. You may recall that earlier this year, the artist lent his vocals to a cover of The Clash's "Bankrobber," backed by the theatrical Montreal psych septet TEKE::TEKE. Their take appeared on the Hearts & Minds & Crooked Beats tribute album.
WUT: "Mingling with the Thorns"
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Vancouver twee/jangle pop trio WUT have their sophomore full-length set for an August 23 release through HHBTM Records. You can now preview two advanced singles from the album: "Talking to Strangers" and the title track, "Mingling with the Thorns."
The album collects music forged in the quarantine era when circumstances forced the band's principles to work independently and collaborate remotely. The resulting songs are well-considered, reflecting the members' mutual admiration of 80s indie rock—with a particular nod to C86 and the Flying Nun roster. You can see a video for "Mingling with the Thorns" on YouTube, filmed last summer at the 60s-era Revelstoke attraction, The Enchanted Forest. Those off-model concrete creatures are pretty apt as a visual metaphor for cuddlecore with a hidden edge.
WUT's brain trust includes guitarist Kaity McWhinney and bassist Tracey Vath, both of Knife Pleats and Love Cuts, along with drummer Lauren Smith (of Jock Tears and then-and-now Tough Age). Eirinn McHattie recorded and mixed Mingling with the Thorns, with Jay Arner mastering. Keep an ear out for Riley Riley of California's Artsick and Burnt Palms, who makes a guest appearance on one track.
WUT's new record follows up on their 2020 cassette release, NOW.
Feeling Figures: "Swimming"
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Lo-fi garage-pop act Feeling Figures are readying their sophomore LP, Everything Around You, for a September 27 release through Perennial Death and Calvin Johnson's legendary Olympia label K. The Montreal band shared the news alongside the single "Swimming," as showcased in a dreamlike video by Zakary Slax.
While the album slots into their discography as their second, the band had these songs in the can before recording their 2023 debut Migration Magic. The album writeup at Bandcamp explains the backwards timeline:
"The second LP from Feeling Figures was in fact recorded before their first. Amongst the stuttered starts and stops of the pandemic, a window opened for 'The Figs' to commit 11 songs to tape. After gradually preparing new and resurrected material, they gathered in drummer T's basement in the omicron winter of early 2022 to document their strongest songs on his recently acquired reel-to-reel. Compared to Migration Magic, Everything Around You is a considerably deeper dive into the Figs universe, a more deliberate collection that includes compositions which push into the expanse, drawing from a broader palette of art rock influences. The songs on this album navigate tensions between the personal and political, encompassing inner turmoil and deep-seated desires for change at the entangled axis of individual and social transformation."
Feeling Figures rose from the songwriting partnership of Zakary Slax and Kay Moon, which spans more than a decade (Slax once played with the Sackville, NB punks Astral Gunk). The pair share guitar and vocal duties in the Figs, backed by drummer Thomas Molander and bassist Joe Chamandy, both members of the peak-sneer shamble rockers Thee Retail Simps.
Sleepkit: "Oxygen On The Autobahn"
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In late May, Calgarian psych-pop group Sleepkit shared "Oxygen On The Autobahn," the first single from their upcoming sophomore LP Camp Emotion. The project's the brainchild of songwriters Ryan Bourne (Chad VanGaalen, Ghostkeeper) and Marie Sulkowski (Texture Twins), former bandmates in the garage-psych group Devonian Gardens. Live, the band performs as a quartet with drummer Eric Hamelin (Alvvays, Ghostkeeper) and multi-instrumentalist Joleen Toner (Crystal Eyes, Plant City Band). These new recordings find them working with producer Scott Munro (of Preoccupations fame).
In a press release, the band shared the genesis of their hazy yet propulsive new single:
"Initially more frantic (and loud enough to piss off their neighbours so much that the working title was "Doug Anger") the band streamlined a recorded jam, refining the vibe, layering in texture and melody until "Oxygen On The Autobahn" emerged. The title was chosen as a nod to Jean-Michel Jarre's lush 1976 synth opus Oxygène, after founding songwriters Marie Sulkowski and Ryan Bourne realized it was formative for both of them; a staple for respective family trips - Bourne's camping off the Transcanada and Marie's actually ripping down the Autobahn."
You can see the track awash in vintage video artifacts in a glitchy video by Joleen Toner. The new LP follows up on 2016's Champion Weekend. A release date is not yet available.
We Are Wolves: "Transition"
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Montreal's synth-heavy indie rock veterans We Are Wolves returned last month with "Transition," their first single in nearly four years and the title track to a full-length due in the fall. American Lips' Adrian Popovich mixed the track with Oliver Ackermann of A Place to Bury Strangers mastering. The band commented on the track in a feature at Post-Punk.com, revealing:
"Transition is about the exaggerated surplus of information we're constantly confronted with. By trying to navigate through this flow and overstimulation, we find ourselves completely lost, polarized, and dissociated from reality. We're continually in a state of transition, without ever having a grip or foundation to rely on."
We Are Wolves' core duo remains vocalist/instrumentalists Alexander Ortiz and Vincent Levesque. Look for the new album, their sixth and allegedly last, through Simone Records. The group previously released the La Main de Dieu EP in 2019. Their last proper full-length, Wrong, dates back to 2016.
Ryan Wayne: "Ready My Love"
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Toronto singer-songwriter Ryan Wayne told me his new single probably wasn't hard enough for Some Party, perhaps not realizing that I cycle through exactly three interchangeable adjectives when forced to assess heavy music and thus should not be taken seriously on that front. So, yes, "Ready My Love" falls on the gentler psychedelic folk end of the spectrum, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. The new tune is the second issued from the artist this year, following "No Easy Way Out" in April. The track finds Wayne performing with Alex Needleman, Annelise Noronha, Hamal Finn Roye, John Bridgens, and JP Desaulniers, and Brian Kobayakawa. The artist recorded primarily from their home studio, with vocals engineered at The Woodshed by Tim Vesely of the Rheostatics.
In a feature at Canadian Beats, Wayne revealed:
"'Ready My Love' started as a collaboration with songwriter and bassist Alex Needleman who sent a few files my way, including a hypnotizing synth drone. At the same time, I was jamming on some '70s funk songs with my hockey team. I was impressed by how much was expressed in those songs with so few chords. I wondered how far I could take a basic two-chord folk song by layering instruments, and focusing more on groove and dynamics."
Ryan Wayne McEathron came onto the scene as a member of The Warped 45s in the late aughts. He last issued the Crow Amongst the Sparrows full-length in 2023.
Pop Pop Vernac: A Cold Beer and a Couple of Grapes
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Regina art-punk combo Pop Pop Vernac recently shared their debut full-length, a 12-song set dubbed A Cold Beer and a Couple of Grapes. The record's impressively diverse and aggressively playful - with a looseness that's not unlike that of Ottawa's New Swears or Toronto legends the Deadly Snakes (while not sounding much like either). The group commented on their scattershot approach when the record arrived in June:
"We took a lot of liberties with this one and approached it with open minds and open hearts; trying to embrace creative freedom as much as possible and placing importance on variety (our favourite spice!). We recorded the songs through multiple recording sessions in different locations, different methods, with varying instruments, as a group and individually."
This one's getting a lot of replay on my end, and the fact that it never settles into any given mood for longer than a few minutes helps that a great deal. The new record follows their 2022 EP Screaming Everywhere.
SkullNBone: A Requiem For The 21st
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Montreal punks SkullNBone are back from a nine-year hiatus with their third full-length. A Requiem For The 21st arrived in June through Pils Records, delivering six propulsive punk'n'roll originals and a cover of Tubeway Army's "Down in the Park." The band recorded at NOMANSLAND Studio in Gatineau, Quebec.
SkullNBone features Pils principal Chany Pilote on vocals, backed by Dan Mainville (Hold a Grudge, Ain't Right) on guitar, Sam Verville (Inepsy) on drums, and Pat Perreault (C.C.S.S.) on bass. The group last issued Keeping the Wheel Spinning in 2014.
Your first chance to catch SkullNBone live since their return will be Saturday, August 31 at the Punx Make Noise festival in Quebec City.
Juice: "Festival of Fools"/"World War 3"
Watch "World War 3" at YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Vancouver hardcore upstarts Juice have a ten-song LP dropping this week. Look for Festival of Fools on Friday through War Records, the LA label owned by Andrew Kline of Strife. In the meantime you can preview the title track and the hard-hitting "World War 3" at Bandcamp, with the label referencing the Cro-Mags and No Warning as kindred spirits. "World War 3" recently appeared in a militia-themed video from director Chris Merrell that feels just a little too real for comfort.
The band's Robert Foster recorded their set at Good Lookin' Out Studio in Vancouver, with Jordan Chase mastering at Oodelally in West Kelowna. Juice brings together veteran players from The Enforcers, Poisoned Seeds, World of Pleasure, A Mourning Star, and Odd Man Out. Festival of Fools follows the group's 2022 EP Demonic Frequency.
Block Parent: "Panic Pete!"
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Block Parent have a mastery of sneer, and you can feel their new single mock and tease you as it crashes through three minutes of raucous skate-punk. "Panic Pete!" has its bullshit detector pointed at overzealous online cancel culture, filtered through a sardonic lens in the mould of NOFX and the Dead Milkmen. It's the Cambridge, Ontario band's first new tune since 2021's Sick Year, Bro!.
Block Parent features guitarist/vocalist Jacob Verkerke, bassist/vocalist Jake Dodge, and drummer Zack Dodge. The group recorded with Marcelle Rusu at Bloom Studios. The band recorded with Matt Gauthier (Handheld, Bad Buzz, Debt Cemetary) in Hamilton.
Safeword: Can't Hate You Forever
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Dartmouth indie-pop outfit Safeword recently unveiled Can't Hate You Forever, their third full-length. The nine-song album feels mature and justifiably world-weary, regularly grappling with the Halifax area's financial hardships. That's most explicit in "Jane," a dynamic anti-gentrification piece that finds vocalist Karen Foster directly addressing the famous urban planning theorist Jane Jacobs.
The band recorded at Halifax studios Sonic Temple and Ocean Floor with Charles Austin (Outtacontroller, Future Girls, Daveband) producing. Bob Weston (Shellac, Mitski) mastered at Chicago Mastering Service.
Safeword features Shoulder Season's Karen Foster on vocals and keys, guitarist Dan Watt, bassist Greg Baller, and drummer Brian Foster. They're following up on 2022's Currents LP.
Turnarounds: Turnarounds
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Calgary pop-punk trio Turnarounds have a new self-titled album, available on vinyl and streaming services through Sketchy Records. There's a youthful exuberance to these tracks, and the band wears their love of Chixdiggit! and early Blink-182 on their sleeves.
The trio features Jorden O'Mahony on drums and backing vocals, Zakk Yerxa on bass and vocals, and Shawn Servito on guitar and vocals. Belvedere's Casey Lewis recorded the ten-song set at Echo Base.
The album includes material Turnarounds' first debuted in 2023 on their Wasted Summer EP.
Saint Clare: "Half Bad"
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Ottawa post-punk outfit Saint Clare recently shared "Half Bad," their new summer single and the first of several planned for the year. This run previews their forthcoming full-length Everyone's Old and No One Goes to Parties Anymore. "Half Bad" boasts well-crafted new wave nods, with a distinctive character imparted by the band's full-time sax player. On the tune, they shared:
"Half Bad was written during the early months of the pandemic, in the midst of a devastating loss of a loved one. It's a heartfelt song about life coming at you fast, what ifs, the harsh reality of mental health challenges that impact us all at some point in life, and a call out for love to carry us through periods of darkness."
Curtis Delaney's video for the track feels like a blacklight poster come to life.
Saint Clare features Matthew Saint Clare on vocals and guitar, Dan Larmour on guitar, Geoff Taylor on bass and vocals, Brad Sheffield on keyboards, Morgan Grant on saxophone, and Daniel DeVries on drums. The group recorded with producer Mike Dubue (Hilotrons, Scattered Clouds, Timber Timbre) at Studio Cimetière in Quyon, Quebec in early 2024.
Crones: "Arsenic"
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The adventurous Prince George group Crones have a new full-length slated for release on September 11. They announced the album, Human Error, while sharing the record's first single, "Arsenic." The band commented on the swaggering, desert rock-influenced track:
"'Arsenic' is an abrasive yet hip wiggling riff machine powered by front person Nathan Kelly's pondering over the power that the past inflicts on the future. Is the future set in stone? Can it be changed? Does it matter?"
The group recorded the 10-song set with Connor Pritchard at Pulp City Music. Cory Hanson (Wand/Ty Segall/Meatbodies) mixed and mastered. The accompanying video for "Arsenic" repurposes footage from the studio for maximum psychedelic effect.
Crones features vocalist Britt Meierhofer, guitarist/vocalist Nathan Kelly, bassist/vocalist Chris Dibbens, guitarist/keyboardist Calvin Hilde, and drummer Landon Hilde. They're following up on their 2022 EP, Laugh Freely, Laugh Often.
The Mendozaz: Loafers
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
I'll admit I've not given Toronto trio The Mendozaz much of a push in the past, but with Loafers in hand, it's clear I should take them more seriously. The group issued their third full-length in early June, a 12-song set that delivers an undeniably hooky ode to early-90s pop-punk with just the right mix of emotion and levity. In a recent track-by-track breakdown posted at Punknews.org, the band shared:
"For our first record we wore our influences proudly on our sleeve. Then for the follow-up we moved as far away from that as we could. For number three we took whatever crazy idea came to mind and chased it down until it reached its logical conclusion. We ended up with some strange stuff: a love song to our technological overlords, an ode to a Canadian historical figure who doesn't get nearly as much love as he deserves (despite his name), a couple exposés that are sure to upset dog-lovers and bird-lovers alike and the most infectious earworm anyone could come up with."
The Mendozaz recorded this set with Matt Gauthier (Wasting Time, Debt Cemetary) and John Dinsmore (PUP, Talk Show Host). The record features guitarist/vocalist Jonny Mendoza, bassist/vocalist Michael Mendoza, and drummer Enzo Suppa.
Rat Silo: "Go_Go_17"
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Vancouver post-punk act Rat Silo are rolling out six new singles in the lead-up to their next release. You can hear a couple tracks online now: the primal stomper "Gun Gun Dogh" from May and the newly unveiled grunge rocker "Go_Go_17." On the latest, billed as an "anthem for the unwritten heroes," they comment:
"When you talk to yourself in the mirror, who do you think you are talking to? When did your parents last lie to you? Every thing you buy is empty on the inside. Every time you follow someone else you feel lost and lonely. Sometimes the sidewalk moves like a river. There is nowhere else to go. What's the point anyways? You are a square peg in a round hole. You didn't make the hole that you are in. Don't worry about what people think of you. Worry about what you think of yourself. You are an unwritten book. It's your story. You are the hero. You make the rules. Move everything out of the way until you can see your future. No-one can live your life. Spoil yourself rotten. You deserve it. Sometimes every one else is wrong. Maybe this is one of those times."
You can see the band performing the track in a video from Adam P.W. Smith.
The quartet recorded at Vancouver's Hipposonic Studios with veteran producer (and former Skinny Puppy player) Dave "Rave" Ogilvie. Rat Silo features guitarist/vocalist Jim Newton and bassist Don Binns, both from the late-80s/early-90s rock band Sons Of Freedom. They're backed here by drummer Sean Stubbs and Erkan Gencol on electronics.
Rat Silo's music arrives via Montreal's SODEH Records, following up on the 2022 album Unfortunately. Their upcoming record carries the title Id.
The Lookout: "I Know The Future"
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Montreal's The Lookout have a new full-length due this September through Thousand Islands Records. You can now hear the anthemic title track to I Know The Future, a driving melodic punk number that spotlights Martha Rockhard's commanding vocals. You can see the song featured in a playful new video from director Guillaume Meloche.
The band recorded with longtime collaborator Ryan Battistuzzi (Taxi Girls, Hood Rats, Conditions Apply) at Le Stuzzio in Montreal. Ryan Morley mastered. The Lookout features vocalist Martha Rodriguez backed by bassist Simon Sarrasin, guitarist François Chartrand, and drummer Nicolas Poissant - members with intertwined histories in bands like Twenty2, Bring The Light, and Subb.
The new album follows up on a series of independently released EPs.
Dirty Cheetah: "Laisser Tomber"
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Montreal garage act Dirty Cheetah has a new summer single that they've unapologetically labelled pop-punk. Is "Laisser Tomber" a tad less snarly than May's Polite as Fuck EP? I suppose, but it's still closer to a Bouncing Souls song than, say, Simple Plan. Let's not go overboard. The band jests, en francais:
"Suprise!!! Dirty Cheetah se transforme en Doux Chatons le temps de vous offrir une première pièce pop-punk en français pour commencer l'été. Parce que le POP Punk c'est le nouveaux DAD ROCK. Bisous les minous."
As with Polite as Fuck, the group recorded with engineer Jocelyn Gagné and mixer Ryan Battistuzzi - the same team they worked with on 2020's Never Too Late. Dirty Cheetah features vocalist/guitarist Patrick Morissette, guitarist François Letourneau, bassist Luc Binett, and drummer Lynn Poulin (Pale Lips, Taxi Girls).
Temper Tantrum: Baby Time
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Riffy Toronto hardcore group Temper Tantrum recently issued Baby Time, a new six-song EP. The five-piece commented in a press release:
"This EP has been a long time coming and it feels so good to finally have all these tracks out. Despite the silly title and art, most of these songs are deeply personal, touching on themes of toxic relationships, selfishness, and resentment. I think the juxtaposition of having real, true to self songs with a not so serious presentation is something hardcore is missing these days. I don't think it needs to be so serious all the time. For us it's all about having fun, so we try to showcase that while still writing meaningful, heavy music."
The band recorded the six-song set with Crimson Shadows' Cory Hofing engineering. The new set follows 2022's Puppy Dog Eyes EP. Over the past year the band's shared the stage with heavy hitters like Imploders, Mil-Spec, and Teeth.
Teenage Art Scene: Minor Leagues
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Rupert Yakelashek's prolific power pop / indie rock outlet Teenage Art Scene has a new full-length out. Dubbed Minor Leagues, the eight-song set is very much in conversation with the Victoria artist's September 2023 collection Pipes on the Inside. Rupert discussed that duality in the album's liner notes:
"I cannot write consistently in one style or mood, so as I was writing the more electronic and pop influenced Pipes on the Inside, I kept writing songs that were the opposite of that album. The results of this is Minor Leagues. Minor Leagues is a sister album to Pipes on the Inside but it is almost the polar opposite. Where Pipes on the Inside was bright and bold, Minor Leagues is dark and introspective. These songs are the result of my attempt at embracing honestly in songwriting. Even if specific lyrics are not factually correct to my life or are utterly nonsensical (as are the case for most of my lyrics), they all stem from experiences and emotions that are real..."
The new set also follows Get off the Road, a split EP with Victoria folk artist Talia Fay, issued in April.
Karma Glider: "Wave"
Watch "Wave" on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Last month, Mothland issued a new EP from Susil Sharma's Karma Glider. Ocean Honey Violence follows up last summer's Future Fiction LP with a slate of "elegantly swervy" guitar-driven indie rock, deeply indebted to classic shoegaze while tying in threads of Britpop. The band shared a video for the standout track "Wave" last week, directed by Evan Sharma. The label calls it an "acutely lo-fi motorik track" that "truly feels like it free-willed itself into existence."
Susil Sharma, formerly of the Montreal band Heat, recorded with co-producers Adrian Popovich and Joseph Donovan. While the artist is the EP's primary player, the record also features contributions on drums and percussion from Jean-Philippe Godbout, with backing vocals from Matthew Peri.
June Body: Last Everythings
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Halifax indie/emo trio June Body are celebrating the recent release of Last Everythings, their new LP Obsolete Records Records and Fresh Biscuits. The 10-song set delivers a faithful throwback to early 2000s indie rock, with clear nods to the frank vulnerability of Death Cab for Cutie and the Weakerthans. The band roots their new song cycle in the end of a long-term relationship, as they shared in a press release:
"The LP was inspired by the conceptual vision of every song telling the story of the end of something, hence the title: Last Everythings. The band wanted to create this snowglobe of the events before, during, and after a breakup with simple, domestic imagery. By the end of the record, the hope is that this world becomes clear to the listener, and that anyone can inject their own story into it."
June Body features guitarist/vocalist Connor James, bassist Alex Callaghan, and drummer Matt Schofield. The band recorded at a makeshift studio built in an old family cottage on the Northumberland Strait, with Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes mixing. The new record, their fourth, follows up on 2021's Never Here for Long.
Destructive: Hope Is Dead
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Pils Records and Germany's Running Out of Tape recently shared the second EP from Quebec City street punk act Destructive. Hope Is Dead features five new songs recorded and mixed by Renaud Rochette.
Destructive plays a four-piece, with vocalist Max backed by guitarist Sam, bassist Rotten, and drummer Nick Rampage. The new set follows up on 2021's Another Strike EP. Look for the group's full discography to get vinyl reissues in the fall through Katabomb Records.
Hormoans: Ground Score
Watch "Kids Suck" at YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
The oft-frantic Toronto garage punk group Hormoans recently resurfaced with Ground Score, their first full-length since 2015's Slander. After recording almost exclusively with metal producers in the past, the band shifted gears this round and recorded with Darren McGill (PUP, METZ, The Dirty Nil). The resulting audio's streaming everywhere, and you can see the kinetic "Kids Suck" showcased in a new video, as well.
Hormoans features guitarist/vocalist Steven Sandhu, drummer Cyrus Bapooji, and bassist Nate Martin. They last issued the Crash Embryo EP in 2017.
Days on Parade: "My Blonde Friend Named Alice"
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"My Blonde Friend Named Alice" is the muscular new single from St. Catharines, Ontario psych-punk quartet Days on Parade. It's their first fuzzed-out follow-up to 2023's full-length The Point, and like their past work channels a distinctly 90s alt-rock attitude (in large part through Riss Nixon's vocals). You can also see the propulsive tune visualized in a new lyric video.
Days On Parade features vocalist Riss Nixon, guitarist Frankie Wood, bassist Kieron Lashington-Francis, and drummer Lucas Venneri. The band recorded at Suitcase Studios, with Josh Kalogerakos mixing and mastering.
ACTORS: "Dead Inside"
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"Dead Inside" is the second single of the year from Vancouver post-punk quartet ACTORS, following the March-issued "In Real Life." As we've come to expect, the group delivers a slick and stylish synthesis of new wave, goth, and industrial atmospherics. On the song, vocalist Jason Corbett revealed:
"The recent loss of several friends and the realization of how finite our time is really had an effect on me over the past few months. That dark and sometimes anxious emotion permeates my music with ACTORS. The new single just comes right out and says it."
The single again arrives via Artoffact Records. ACTORS features Jason Corbett on lead vocals and guitar, Leathers' Shannon Hemmett on synth, Kendall Wooding on bass, and drummer Adam Fink. The band issued their acclaimed Acts of Worship LP in 2021.
The Misfires: ...Are Dead, Long Live The Misfires
Watch "Poultry in Motion" on YouTube
The previously shelved final album from Edmonton skate-punk group The Misfires recently surfaced. Before falling apart in 2016, the band recorded the entirety of the 11-song full-length, now titled The Misfires are Dead, long Live The Misfires. As of late May it's now streaming everywhere. In a press release, vocalist Barrett Klesko shared:
"I didn't want this to sit unfinished on a hard drive forever. Though the band didn't survive, we made an incredible album that is both a love letter to the skatepunk sound of the 90s and a step forward in modern punk. Our specific style of satirical social and political commentary continues to be loved by our fans. Throughout the years, we've received a steady stream of messages and fan mail urging our comeback. While I can't guarantee it, a reunion is never out of the question. After all, aging punks are still punks, and we definitely still have shit to say."
You can see a video for the track "Poultry in Motion," cut from various live footage shot between 2013 and the band's final shows.
The Misfires was notably comprised of veterans of the Edmonton metal scene. That lineup saw vocalist Barrett Klesko backed by guitarist Seedy Mitchell, bassist Justin Cruse, drummer Ryan Biggs, and guitarist Colton Taylor. That roster hails from a raft of heavy Alberta groups, including All Else Fails, Sleepwraith, and Degenerator.
