S.C.U.D.S Over Broadway
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.
CPC Gangbangs: Roadhouse EP
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Montreal garage punk outfit CPC Gangbangs are, at best, sporadically active and likewise unveil new projects with little prior fanfare. That's how it played out with the surprise announcement of Roadhouse, a new three-song EP for Reno garage tastemakers Slovenly. The set features two covers and an original, with a blistering take on CRIME's "Rock'n'Roll Enemy No.1" serving as the pre-release highlight (the other's a take on Bobby James' 1967 soul romp "Going Back To Philly"). The set's the first we've seen from the group since a 2022 7" on Certified PR (featuring the single "Post" backed with "Changed Man"). Outside of their short-form releases, the band's discography remains anchored by a sole full-length, 2007's Mutilation Nation.
CPC Gangbangs emerged in 2001, spearheaded by Roy Vucino (aka Choyce) of Les Sexareenos. Their roster's linked to some storied names from the city's garage underbelly, including The Spaceshits, Lyle Sheraton & The Daylight Lovers, Grime, and the Milky Ways. Vucino's attention in recent years has focused on the prolific Red Mass, a self-described "free creative enterprise" last seen working through a series of eleven genre-hopping concept albums.
PYPY: "Lonely Striped Sock"
Watch on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
New of the Gangbangs revival arrives on the heels of the resurrection of PYPY, Vucino's psych-punk side gig helmed by Annie-Claude Deschênes of synthpunk heroes Duchess Says. The quartet, buoyed by Duchess Says' rhythm section of bassist Philippe Clement and drummer Simon Besré, recently previewed a new record with the single "Lonely Striped Sock." It's the opening track to the nine-song Sacred Times. Look for that one on October 18 through Goner Records.
On the new single, Goner shared:
"'Lonely Striped Sock' grooves along like "Earthbeat"-era Slts/ESG until the chorus transforms PyPy into something else entirely. Something huge. Something with monster riffs and wah wah that pins you to the back wall. So there is clearly a brilliance with dynamics here, and it proves to be a not-so-secret-weapon that repays the 'ear-vestment' in dividends throughout. 'Ear-vestment'? Yikes."
You can see "Lonely Striped Sock" accompanied by a kaleidoscopic visualizer on YouTube. PYPY's following up on 2014's Pagan Day.
André Ethier: Cold Spaghetti
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Telephone Explosion recently announced a new solo LP from Toronto's quietly enigmatic André Ethier. Cold Spaghetti again highlights the languid slow-burn that serves as a brilliant counterpoint for the shabling racket Ethier once made with The Deadly Snakes. It also remains in conversation with the culinary themes explored by Fresh Pepper, the seven-piece Ethier co-helmed with saxophonist Joseph Shabason in 2022.
The album again finds Ethier working with producer Sandro Perri, reuniting the team that produced a trilogy of contemplative, naturalistic records in recent years (2017's Under Grape Leaves, 2019's Croak In The Weeds, and 2021's Further Up Island). Perri also appears as a session musician, contributing electronics, guitar, and percussion. Shabason similarly returns to wear multiple hats, engineering the record's three-day recording session while contributing sax, flute, and percussion. Bram Gielen performs piano and bass on the record.
The label shared a pair of songs online, the melancholy ballad "Kids Are" and the easygoing earworm "S.C.U.D.S Over Broadway." On the work, they comment:
"There's a sense of nostalgia for the lost freedom of making art that permeates the Cold Spaghetti, but Ethier's writing also indicates an awareness of how one's stubborn desire to create can impact the people closest to them. These more inward tendencies are tempered by the inescapable freshness ushered in by the unorthodox methods in which Andre conceived the songs. This quality imbues the album with a certain intangible feeling of hope."
The album's shipping now on opaque white vinyl, with a complete digital release available on September 27.
Pillea: "No Rush"
Watch on YouTube
Toronto alt-rock act Pillea are back with "No Rush," their first full-band release since Micah Brown relocated the project from Montreal. While the band's past material found inspiration in early 2000s emo, the new single showcases a heavier sound --- the group cites the influence of Halifax gloom-pop icons Dog Day and the guitar sound of Superchunk's Majesty Shredding.
The single finds Brown grappling with the isolation of modernity and the hollow connectivity of social media. The band shared:
"Struggling with the loss of purpose in a world where hard work seems to pay off less and less, dominated by emotional manipulation and phone addiction, 'No Rush' explores the idea that showing up in earnest, even at the risk of self-humiliation, is the only rush worth chasing. While modern platforms promise connection and freedom of expression, the true 'rush' lies in embracing community and engaging in the non-digital world—a pursuit that doesn't need a marketing team to sell it, or an engineering team to keep you hooked."
"No Rush" is the product of recent sessions at Hamilton's Boxcar Sound with engineer Vince Soliveri (The Dirty Nil, The Stoves, Respire). On this recording, Pillea performs as a quartet featuring Brown on vocals and guitar, Piotr Tomaszewski on lead guitar, Tyler Lovell on vocals and bass, and Ethan Hibionada drumming.
The new single follows last year's single "Falling Forward" and the Pillea's 2021 debut Swell, issued through Sun Eater Records. Before launching Pillea, Brown played in the St. John's group MAANS, toured with Fog Lake, and performed with the Montreal hardcore act Instep. Earlier this year, he shared new recordings from his darkwave side-project Cult Message.
Slow Death Records: New EPs from Breech Boys and Self Defense
Preview and purchase 12 Track E.P. and Greetings from Paradise
Underground BC hardcore label Slow Death Records has a pair of EPs due on September 27. The label is continuing its exploration of the province's gnarliest corners with new releases from Kelowna's Breech Boys and Victoria's Self Defense.
Breech Boys' Greetings from Paradise promises five cuts of "1-2-1-2 beach vacation bozo beat." You can preview the set now through the bruising opener "Anxiety Combat Rock" and the breakneck chaos of "Pretend Honey." The new record follows the band's 2021 Kelowna Virus EP.
Self Defense returns with the plainly titled 12 Track E.P., delivering just that in sub-minute bursts recommended for fans of Urban Waste, White Cross, and Violent Future. The quartet, featuring vocals from Nathan Pollok (Bad Beat, Vic City), are making good on the promise of their early 2024 demos.
Both EPs are available to pre-order now, with a combo deal offering both for $20.
The Slime: "Crab Walk"
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Toronto hardcore/thrash quartet The Slime recently unleashed "Crab Walk," the title track from their upcoming album Crab-Walk To Oblivion. That full-length is due on January 24, following April's Trapped On Blood Island EP.
The band reveals that the new song draws inspiration from the novel and film versions of The Exorcist. Vocalist Andy comments:
"I just had that image in my mind, of the girl creepily spider-walking backwards down the stairs, and the lyrics flowed from there, touching on the same themes as the novel. An innocent paying for the sins of adults, society losing faith in religion, colonialism and exploitation, B movie monsters, it's all in there."
The Slime formed in 2019, issuing the Bitter Dream EP the following January. Their Living on Borrowed Slime full-length arrived in 2022 through Cursed Blessings. The group has since shared the stage with Canadian punk legends like Random Killing and Dayglo Abortions.
