controlfreak69
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.
Gloin"controlfreak69"
Watch on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Toronto post-punk quartet Gloin recently unveiled their sophomore full-length. The sardonically titled All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry) arrives March 28 through Mothland, marking the Montreal psych label's 50th release. You can preview the twelve-song set through the livewire single "controlfreak69," accompanied by a curious (and I'd say aggressively uneventful) new video from director Ryan Faist (aka boy wonder). Vocalist John Watson sounds impressively frantic over the track's thumping industrial dance beat.
The album finds the band further evolving their dense, noisy darkwave with a newfound embrace of electronic flourishes (Toronto's Odonis Odonis mined similar territory for a spell). Gloin commented on the improvisational fluidity of their writing process in a press release:
"We wrote the whole album as a collective, influenced by shared experiences. Half was written electronically with usually one person bringing in ideas that we all elaborated on together. We jammed a lot, finding things we liked that we later pieced together, while also saving pieces that we might be able to plug into a future song. One method for a few of the songs was for all of us to write a complete piece, and then switch up instruments."
The group recorded with Tallies' Dylan Frankland (Fucked Up, Partner) between Palace Sound and Wychwood Sound, with Phil Demetro mastering in Toronto. Ryan Faist also shot the album's cover image, which pays homage to the work of the famed New York photographer Gregory Crewdson. The band says it's "inspired by the mundanity of life," depicting "the middle of nowhere."
Gloin features guitarist/vocalist John Watson, bassist/vocalist Victoria Byers, drummer Simon Kou, and Richard Garnham on synths. The new record follows their 2022 LP We Found This.
Population II"Le thé est prêt"
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Montreal psych trio Population II can't stand still. The band issued two dynamic EPs in 2024 and already have their next full-length on deck. Maintenant Jamais arrives March 28 through Bonsound. You can hear the lead single, "Le thé est prêt," streaming now. Compared to the noise-punk racket of their recent EP, it's striking how groovy and refined the band sounds here. The nine-song collection promises an ambitious fusion of the band's late-60s influences; they cite Soft Machine, the MC5, and the avant-garde Quebecois group L'Infonie in a press release.
The new record finds Population II again working with producer Dominic Vanchesteing (Marie Davidson, Chocolat, Peter Peter), who's helped focus and refine their approach. He mixed the record with Philippe Roberge, with Pascal Shefteshy mastering. Population II features vocalist/drummer Pierre-Luc Gratton, guitarist/keyboardist Tristan Lacombe, and bassist Sébastien Provençal.
The new album follows a productive few years in which Population II issued their acclaimed sophomore LP Électrons libres du québec and the decidedly heavier follow-up Serpent Échelle EP. They capped off 2024 with a collaborative split with the Montreal hardcore group Mulch. The thrilling Mulchulation II split came out in October and remains in near-daily rotation at Some Party HQ.
Swimming"Reports" / "You Smell Like Phys Ed"
Watch "Reports" on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
St. John's trio Swimming continue to deftly channel Midwestern emo on their sophomore full-length. Old lands February 21 on vinyl No Funeral Records with Barely There handling the cassette release. You can now hear two advance singles from the ten-song set: "You Smell Like Phys Ed" and the newly unveiled "Reports." A video for the latter showcases intimate 8mm footage shot by guitarist Liam Ryan during the slow return to live music in 2021.
The melancholic "Reports" predates the band, with roots in Liam Ryan and drummer Jacob Cherwick's college years. The band issued a press release detailing the song's evolution:
"Spending years on the shelf, 'Reports' was dusted off and re-worked into what would become one of the band's strongest pop offerings. The song's lyrics echo the band members' experience coming of age on the isolated island of Newfoundland while technology reshaped the way the world communicates. On Reports, Swimming surrounds their infectious indie rock melodies with layers of fuzzed out guitars & driving bass, complimented by Cherwick's angular drumming. The song culminates in a cathartic percussion break set atop a bed of atmospheric shoegaze inspired guitars."
Like "Reports," several songs from the aptly-titled Old are refinements of earlier material, some previously heard on the group's 2019 demo.
The band recorded Old in Newfoundland over two years, with Washington's Dylan Hanwright (Great Grandpa, Gulfer) mixing and Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Jerome's Dream) mastering. Swimming features guitarist Liam Ryan, drummer Jacob Cherwick, and bassist Nick Hunt. The new record follows their 2021 debut That's OK.
Plastic ActNow
Watch "Everywhere I Go" on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Josh Herlihey's proto-punk vehicle Plastic Act returned this week with their three-song sophomore EP, issued through the Austrian label Bachelor Records. You can stream the Montreal band's latest everywhere and see the playful A-side, "Everywhere I Go," showcased in a new video. The clip fittingly marries the song's nostalgic Velvet Underground vibes with the analog grit of vintage film grain.
While Plastic Act started as a purely solo affair, this outing finds Herlihey backed by PRIORS' Drew Demers on drums and Chance Hutchison on backing vocals. The band recorded with Adrian Popovich (FRVITS, American Lips) engineering and mixing, with Dave Forcier (The Steve Adamyk Band, CIVIC) mastering. Pack Rat's Patrick McEachnie penned liner notes celebrating the release, dubbing it "something you've almost heard on a compilation of NY underbelly rock."
Herlihey plays in the Montreal post-punk quartet Private Lives alongside Jackie Blenkarn (Pale Lips), Chance Hutchison, and Drew Demers. Plastic Act's self-titled debut EP arrived in 2023 through Brain Gum Records.
Prism ShoresOut From Underneath
Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
Last week, the Montreal jangle-pop quartet Prism Shores unveiled Out From Underneath, a new full-length issued through Madrid's Meritorio Records. The 10-song set delivers a solid blend of lo-fi indie pop, linking strands of Teenage Fanclub, early shoegaze, and the hallowed sounds of genre pillars like the C86 comps and Flying Nun Records.
Album notes at Bandcamp elaborate on the record's themes:
"Lyrically, the album tackles young adult ennui and the adjustment of settling in an unfamiliar city, detailing the growing pains experienced during a time of upheaval. It is contemplative and chock-full of emotional depth — a nighttime album that channels self-reflexive melancholy into some form of catharsis."
The band recorded primarily with Andrew Woods at Royal Subs, with additional production from Howard Bilerman at Montreal's Hotel2Tango. Harris Newman mastered at Grey Market. Prism Shores features Jack MacKenzie on guitar and vocals, Ben Goss (Poison Spear, ex-Antibodies) on bass, Luke Pound on drums, and Finn Dalbeth on guitar. The album features guest appearances from KT Laine on vocals, Owen Fairbairn on violin, and finds Woods chipping in on a half dozen instruments in the studio.
The new record follows Prism Shores' 2022 LP Inside My Diving Bell.
Fucked Up"Disabuse"
Listen on YouTube - Purchase from the band
Given how much we used to pour over rumours and fret about their future, I appreciate that we're now way past the point of Fucked Up having some discernable arc to their career: they've swapped the uncertainty and the crush of expectations for an unrelenting drive for more. After issuing (give or take) three full-lengths and an assortment of adjuncts in 2024, the Toronto flagbearers kick off 2025 with a new 7" as part of Sub Pop Records legendary singles series. The vinyl's set for release on March 14, but you can hear the blistering A-side "Disabuse" now. The track eschews the band's maximalist tendencies, tapping directly into their punk roots and keeping their experimental tendencies at bay. The label calls them "unlikely light-speed cuts of pure hardcore," sharing:
"These tracks bleed off the record, having been born from the indelible stamp of Poison Idea's 1990 anti-oppression anthem 'Discontent' and Japanese punk legends Paintbox's 'The Door.' Sitting at the chaotic crossroads of punk, hardcore, and grunge."
Damian Abraham wrote the A-side for his daughter, grappling with the harm of bullying and intimidation. "Self Driving Man" plays on the flip, which finds the band wrestling "the out of control automation of our world." The label is issuing the 7" on emerald vinyl with two cover variants: one in the band's usual style and one that pays homage to Poison Idea's 1990 Sub Pop single, "Taken By Surprise."
The release follows a characteristically prolific year that saw Fucked Up issue Another Day, Someday, and the limited-to-24-hours experiment Who's Got The Time & A Half?. The band's current lineup features vocalist Damian Abraham, guitarists Mike Haliechuk and Josh Zucker, bassist Sandy Miranda, and drummer Jonah Falco.
PUP"Paranoid"
Watch on YouTube - Preview and purchase at Bandcamp
PUP generate their own gravity these days, so I assume my two-week late write-up's entirely superfluous. I'm a completionist, though, and "Paranoid" finds the quartet in such fine, angsty form I'd feel remiss for ignoring it.
The song, A-side of a self-released 7" available to the band's fan club, arrived with the latest in PUP's series of famously ambitious videos. The clip, directed by longtime collaborator Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux, follows the lyrics in real-time as they appear on merch, venue signage, jacket patches, and assorted graffiti scrawled on the walls of Sneaky Dee's. Don't be fooled by the vertically oriented phone footage; there's nothing slapdash here. It's a dizzying piece featuring several intricate, long shots that must have been a nightmare to choreograph in the legendary Toronto venue.
The song finds the group working with the prolific producer John Congleton. In a mailing, Stefan Babcock commented:
"The lyrics are pretty self explanatory on this one, I don't need to go deep. I will say though, that my favourite part of the song is in the breakdown, I'm screaming some pretty sad shit and Nestor just decided who cares I'm gonna play the melody for 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' over the vocals and that's fucking funny. I laugh every time I hear it.
John Congleton, the legend (and our friend, nbd, we hang with legends all the time) produced and recorded this thing at his place in LA. I think I did 3 vocal takes. After the 3rd one I was like 'man I sound BAD', and he was like 'perfect, I love when you sound bad, we're keeping it'. I like John."
"Paranoid" arrived in a run of 500 records, which I assume are entirely sold out. PUP features vocalist/guitarist Stefan Babcock, guitarist Steve Sladkowski, bassist Nestor Chumak, and drummer Zack Mykula. Their last proper full-length was 2022's THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND.
The Dirty Nil"I Hate The Internet" / "True Devotion"
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Likewise, acolytes of The Dirty Nil need no reminder from me. The Dundas power trio launched their now-in-progress US tour with a surprise digital release through Dine Alone Records. You can hear both "I Hate The Internet" and "True Devotion" streaming everywhere now, adored by truly epic cover art from fantasy punk illustrator Rizki Akber (Eye Dust). While the former doesn't delve too deeply, the chorus voices such a prevailing sentiment that the band's conceivably written the backing track to a million future Instagram reels. It's fuel for more Internet, if you get my drift - a content ouroboros.
The tracks are the Nil's first originals since issuing Free Rein to Passions in 2023. The joyfully hedonistic Ontario rock group features vocalist/guitarist Luke Bentham, drummer Kyle Fisher, and bassist Sam Tomlinson.
