Leon’s Getting Larger - If You Lived at Home, You’d Be Here By Now
If you hear the words “Midwest emo” and don’t think about the prairies, that will change as soon as you hear If You Lived at Home, You’d Be Here By Now by Winnipeg-based Leon’s Getting Larger. Drawing from post-hardcore, shoegaze, screamo, and, of course, Midwest emo, the Airplane!-referencing trio create nine songs that capture the myriad of emotions that come with being in your mid-20s with relatable lyrics that dive deep while retaining the band’s sense of humour and sarcasm. The songs are crafted to deliver full catharsis, guiding you through tempestuous times with plenty of Buster Keaton references (listen for the snippet from Speak Easily on “Jokes Aside”), mathy riffs, and heart, making the album feel like home.
Doghouse Rose - Born to Break Even
It’s safe to say that we’ve all had days where we feel like the broken piggy bank that graces the cover of Born To Break Even, the third album by Toronto-based punk rockers Doghouse Rose. The ten tracks on the album serve as the perfect balm for those days, the band’s melodic mix of new wave, power pop, and punk giving you space to find catharsis through movement, the epitome of the cleansing power found at a sweaty punk show. Whether they are talking about mental health on “It Gets Worse”, tackling what it means to be a band on “This Thing We Started”, or celebrating community on “Anthem”, Doghouse Rose gets to the heart of the matter with vulnerability and wit.
Weak Hands - We Can’t!
On their debut album We Can’t! Weak Hands prove that they most definitely can, and can do it with style. Blending together elements from punk, emo, indie rock, and power pop, the Toronto-based trio create eight tracks full of sharp lyricism, dynamic instrumentation, and infectious vocal melodies. Songs like “Massey Sign”, “I Miss the Dress That I Wore the First Time You Took Me Dancing”, and “Summer Sometimes” are incredibly visual, evoking the neon glow of iconic venues, memories like worn photographs, and the feeling of being “flypapered like a spider” to the sheets in high heat. There are so many shining moments on We Can’t!, including “Put It on Me” which builds and explodes beautifully.
Cancer Bats - Give Me Dirt
From the hand-made album art (created by lead vocalist Liam Cormier on four-foot-by-eight-foot sheets of plywood) to the eleven tracks that make up the record, Cancer Bats’ seventh album Give Me Dirt is bursting with texture and life. The band’s energy is cranked up past the rafters as they kick out some of their heaviest and most propulsive songs to date, complete with nature imagery-infused lyrics and guest spots by Brooklyn Doran, Nate Newton, Chris Cresswell, and Efrem Schultz. It is impossible not to scream along, especially on “Stay Stuck” which includes the lyric, “You can pry my dreams out from my cold dead hands,” which, if you’re anything like me, has become a rallying cry.
