PUP, Alien Boys, Vivienne Wilder, and BIG|BRAVE
PUP - Who Will Look After The Dogs?
It is no secret that PUP are one of my favourite bands, and when they announced Who Will Look After The Dogs? I was excited to hear what they’d been cooking up in the years since THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND. “No Hope” kicks the album off with an explosion of melodic fuzz that is nothing short of chaotic catharsis, setting the tone for the eleven tracks to come and showcasing PUP’s raw punk side. Songs like “Hunger For Death” and “Shut Up” highlight their range, while their prowess for writing anthemic hooks is on full display on tracks like “Paranoid” and “Best Revenge”. Who Will Look After The Dogs? clicked with me the same way that PUP’s first three albums did and felt like it came into my life at the right time.
Alien Boys - Live at Rain City Recorders
Whenever I listen to Alien Boys I feel like I’ve been struck by lightning in the best way possible and this feeling is amplified on their recently released live EP Live at Rain City Recorders. From the opening notes of “Night Mayor” (off their 2023 album The Weight of it All) to the final note of “Just Another Piece of Acid” (off 2016’s Self-Critical Theory) it was as if I was transported to one of the Vancouver-based punk rockers high-energy shows. Their new song “Punching Concrete” highlights the vital need for solidarity and community with powerful lyrics and driving instrumentation while their haunting cover of PJ Harvey’s “Down by the Water” will stick with you for a long time. Make sure you have lots of space around you before pressing play, as Live at Rain City Recorders will have you opening up a pit in no time at all.
Vivienne Wilder - Terrible Human
Terrible Human, the third album from Toronto punk/bubblegrunge artist Vivienne Wilder, absolutely blew me away. It is raw, humourous, vulnerable, and a hell of a lot of fun. The sonic landscapes that Vivienne and her band - made up of Ian Docherty, Gordon Hyland, and Adam Hindle - create are wonderfully textured, whether they are welcoming you into the groovy catharsis of “Sex Machine” or transporting you into the haunting world of “Rust Woman”. “Sherlock” is one of my favourite tracks on the album and has easily become my song of the summer. Keep an ear peeled for some of the best-timed effects I’ve heard; the dial-up tone after “I’ve never been one to be patient” is genius. I’ve listened to Terrible Human an incalculable number of times and I’m still finding new things.
BIG|BRAVE - OST
OST is one of the most visual albums I’ve ever listened to. Made up of eight heavy, ethereal soundscapes, BIG|BRAVE have created an atmospheric and otherworldly score that will have you on the edge of your seat. Every time I listen to the album, a different storyline forms in my mind; sometimes it’s a horror story, sometimes it’s Matrix-style sci-fi, there’s no telling where it will go. It is a true joy to get lost in BIG|BRAVE’s sonic tapestry and see where their storytelling will lead you.
