The Great Canadian Going Out Of Business Sale
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.
I'm so tempted to end the newsletter here and now just to take advantage of this glorious subject line. Alas, reports of my demise at sea were unfounded, and this project stubbornly shambles into its ninth year. I've been away for much of the past month, physically at first and playing real-life catch-up ever since. My apologies if you set your watch by these updates, but that's a terrible way to tell time. Here's some of what you may have missed in my absence, and thanks for sticking around for another year of Some Party.
Matty Grace"The Great Canadian Going Out Of Business Sale"
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
It's surprising to see Cheap Shame listed as the first long-player from Matty Grace, but despite the Ottawa artist's lengthy discography and prolific recording output, that's indeed the case. The twelve-song LP arrives on February 18 via Dirt Cult Records. You can preview the set through "The Great Canadian Going Out Of Business Sale." The album opener finds Grace cloaking her well-worn punk attack with a shroud of moody cynicism. The track reaches for some middle ground between the bratty '77 sound Matty's known for and the frustrated emotional resonance of Jawbreaker. In a press release, the label notes:
"The record was constructed over many weeks of sleepless nights and a changing personal and political landscape. Trying to find hope in the bleak reality we have in front of us is an exercise in just how resilient someone can be... Cheap Shame is a work that might help you realize that just trying to get through to the next morning is enough sometimes."
While billed as a solo record, Grace worked closely on this project with Jordan Bell (Fossil Record, Crusades, The Creeps). Bell plays drums and synth on the album while sharing production duties. The LP also features guest appearances from Becca Dalley (Book Buddies, G.R.O.S.S.), Chris Venoit (ex-Talk Show Host), and James Robertson (Weekend Dads, The Hemingways). Will Killingsworth mastered at Dead Air Studios.
Grace has deep roots in the Halifax punk scene through bands like Future Girls and more recently Cluttered. She relocated to Ottawa following the pandemic, where she now plays in the trio Crisis Party. The artist also recently contributed a track to Faster and Louder Records' Acoustic Brunch compilation, appearing alongside new material from Audio Visceral, Fast Eddie, and Dave Rocket, among others.
Snake River"TV Light"
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Regina psych outfit Snake River recently shared "TV Light," their second stand-alone single of 2024 and a tribute to Television's late Tom Verlaine. The track, issued in celebration of the group's 10th anniversary, finds Christopher Sleightholm performing an extended jam in the style of their art-punk heroes - directly echoing a few "Marquee Moon" licks in the outro. The band recorded at Regina's Song Has No End Studio with Sleightholm engineering and mixing. Orion Paradis mastered at Soul Sound. On this outing, Snake River includes John De Gennaro on guitar, Dustin Gamracy on drums, Whistlin' Jeff M on bass, and Amber Pb on violas and vocals.
The single is the band's second one-off of the year, following the harmony-drenched 60s-pop of April's "I'll Take You To Another Side." Last fall, Sleightholm issued Looking For The Great Unseen, his fourth solo LP featuring nearly a dozen collaborators backing him as The Beautiful Band. Snake River (proper) last issued The Phantom Carriage in 2022. That project showcased live recordings from December 2021, written to score the 100-year-old silent Swedish horror film of the same name.
I'll leave it up to you whether to queue "TV Light" before or after that six-and-an-half hour supercut of Tom Verlaine's live "Marquee Moon" solos, but it's a busy time of year so, for your sanity, I'd suggest before.
Taxi GirlsRainy
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Montreal punk'n'roll quartet Taxi Girls have a new 7" out through Wild Honey and Dirt Cult Records. "Rainy" leads the two-song set, paired with "The Lion's Share" on the flip. In a press release, the band shared some background on both tracks:
"'Rainy' [originated as] a narrative of taking pills but eventually evolved into a story about an abusive ex-friend who treated the group poorly... someone that they've got dirt on and are saving that dirt for a rainy day!"
The sentiment of "The Lion's Share" similarly shifted over time. While the group wrote the song to express a sense of longing, they eventually found that sentiment underscored by "the innate perspective that this individual is taking up more mental space [than] they deserved."
Taxi Girls' newly expanded lineup features Pale Lips' rhythm section of Jamie Radu (on bass, guitar, and vocals) and Lynn Poulin (drums and backing vocals), alongside Vera Bozickovic (guitar, bass, and vocals) and guitarist Gabrielle Noël Bégin (SCARE, Margaret Tracteur). The band's been on a tear this year, sharing stages with NOBRO, Lagwagon, The Hives, Pansy Division, and NOFX (on their farewell tour). Iggy Pop even picked up on the group, spinning a pair of Taxi Girls tracks on his BBC radio show.
The new set follows up on 2023's Coming Up Roses. Look for the band's debut full-length in 2025.
The Ape-ettesNo Matter What
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp - Watch "Backseat" on YouTube
Sudbury garage trio The Ape-ettes have a new 7" out through Denver's Snappy Little Numbers and Mexico's Discos de Muerte. The infectious No Matter What sounds delightfully uncomplicated, a friendly reminder of the joy punk can find in earnest minimalism. Three lovely tracks in just shy of five minutes. What more do you need?
The record arrived alongside a video for "Backseat," which features Strange Attractor's Jeff Houle as the mustachioed record exec gatekeeping the band's big break. No Matter What is a family affair, with Mitch Houle (Tommy and the Commies, Statues) recording the band at Sudbury's Piss Factory Studio. He mixed and mastered, as well. The Ape-ettes features Julie Houle on guitar and vocals, Andrée St-Onge on bass, and Melanie Mcdonald drumming.
The new record follows the group's summer 2023 EP Simply. That platter, a four-song set co-released by Reta Records, marked the band's return to action after a lengthy hiatus. The group's previous record came out in the innocent summer of 2017.
PasMortC'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Rivière Du Loup's irreverent PasMort are back with C'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous, a new four-song EP that clocks in at a brisk seven minutes (just enough time, they note, to make crêpes). The set again finds the band delivering a propulsive set of melodic punk tunes that often veer off into unhinged lyrical territory. You'll find that tendency front and centre in "Mononoc' Pete," a song dedicated to weird uncles:
"Tout le monde a un oncle un peu weird qui habite dans le bois, qui a déjà vu des extraterrestres pis qui chasse le pigeon à l'arbalète!
Mononc' Pete, c'est notre hommage à tous ces bonhommes magiques là qui boivent le thé avec le Sasquatch pis qui parlent aux carcajous!"
The quartet recorded with Mathieu Bossé at Le sous-sol à Francis, with Brad Boatright mastering at Audiosiege. PasMort features vocalist/guitarist Jonathan St-Pierre, bassist Louis-Alexandre Bouliane, drummer Francis Bernard, and guitarist Olivier Thériault - past and present members of A Tree At Last, Albatros, Lost Love, and Striver. The new set follows up on 2022's full-length Pas Responsable des Accidents.
