Alex Lukashevsky, ((C.ROSS)), TV Freaks, and Quit It!
Alex Lukashevsky - OOOOH!
When it comes to music, the rest of Canada looks at folks from Toronto as living in a bubble, or maybe a whole different country. Go with me here, I’m not trying to offend, it’s just that we (rest of Canada) tend to have trouble discovering their underground gems. Case in point, Alex Lukashevsky. It took a UK label releasing one of his records for me to discover this man who is a favourite of names like Owen Pallett, Meg Remy, and Kevin Drew. OOOOH! is his first new album in thirteen years and boy howdy, it’s an avant-garde masterpiece. Strange compositions craft anxiety inducing moments throughout while Lukashevsky’s stream-of-consciousness delivery that looks at the life of musicians is eternally memorable. Lines like: “the musician is radical it’s the world that’s demented—listening with their eyes the music looks dented and over represented” will stick with you and keep you coming back for fresh nuggets to ponder.
((C.ROSS)) - FUTURE SITE OF C.ROSS
Chad Ross has long been a fixture in Canada’s psych and indie-rock underground. He’s the singer/guitarist of Quest for Fire and Comet Control, but perhaps best known as a member of the legendary garage rock band The Deadly Snakes. In 2022 he released SKULL CREATOR, his first solo album under the name ((C.ROSS)). His sophomore album FUTURE SITE OF C.ROSS picks up where the debut left off. Eerie cosmic-folk crafted by subtle acoustic guitar and clever psychedelic synth flourishes make this a great winter listen.
TV Freaks - Blue Genie
I have CnC team member Penelope to thank for this album coming into my life. I had no idea Hamilton garage-punk stalwarts TV Freaks were still a band! Blue Genie arrives five years removed from their last release in their fifteenth year as a band. It’s a step up from PEOPLE in production but also signals a new chapter with a less chaotic and raw garage sound. On Blue Genie they are more polished, cohesive, and restrained. Also standing firmly out from their past efforts is the lyricism which includes my favourite line of 2025: “You’re my least favourite good friend” damn, that is some cutting shit! Drop any preconceived notions of TV Freaks and check out Blue Genie.
Quit It! - Through The Debris
Calgary’s Quit It! returned at the start of October with Through The Debris, an album with themes of disconnection, corporate decay, soft apocalypse, and hope. Made up of veterans of the Calgary punk scene, Quit It! swerve between skate-punk, pop-punk, and classic hardcore punk from track to track. The band crafts melodies and hooks that are catchy when they aim to be catchy, or gritty when they want to be gritty. They control their punk prowess options like a professional buffet eater, knowing which dishes are crummy fillers and which ones will deliver the most delicious experience.
