With another week to go in January, it’s time for things to start ramping up for big spring releases. Here’s the first bit of that.
1. PUP, Robot Writes a Love Song
THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND (Little Dipper/Universal)
Recommended If You Like: ALL CAPS
PUP is due for something new—the last full album was in 2019, which was followed by an EP in 2020—so after teasing things a bit, they’ve announced their fourth album. Set for release on April 1, they apparently spent five weeks recording the album in a Connecticut house that was infested with bats. The band says they got “more irrational” the longer things went on. Can’t way to hear the rest of the album. *Props (and thank you!) for PUP mentioning 102.1 in the lyrics for this song!
2. Bob Moses, Love Brand New
The Silence in Between (Astralwerks)
RIYL: Boomy beats
Bob Moses, the Grammy-nominated Canadian duo consisting of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, is previewing their third album due March 4. There’s more than a little New Romantic influence here—and the band admits to bingeing on Nine Inch Nails, too. Tell me more.
3. The Tragically Hip feat. Feist, It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken
Single (Universal)
RIYL: Memories of Gord
You remember this performance from the 2021 Juno Awards, right? It was one of our first glimpses inside Massey Hall since the renovations began. It was pretty much universally agreed that Gord would have really, really loved to see Feist take his place for the gig. We may never see the likes of something like this again.
4. Blonde Diamond, Red Flags
Single (High Tide Music)
RIYL: 70s RAWK
This sounds interesting: A band from Vancouver featuring members of Hot Hot Heat, Fake Shark, and Gay Nineties. They’ve already played with Mother Mother, Dear Rouge, and Portugal. The Man.
5. Rüfüs Du Sol, On My Knees
Single (Warner)
RIYL: An 80s throwback
Here’s a bewitching song from an Australian band who sounds like they (a) grew up listening to their parents’ technopop records from the 1980s, and (b) spent a lot of time with Radiohead’s Kid A album. I guess you can call what they do alternative dance—and with good reason. I can imagine a remix of this being played in the clubs. I found myself going down a rat hole of their music after I found this new single.
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