Music

The 20 best Canadian punk demos of 2015

by Michael Rancic

Photo: Halifax’s Rakins

Demos occupy a strange space in punk and DIY music culture. They’re admittedly not the best way to hear a band’s recordings, but they are a great way for a group to “show their work”, so to speak, giving listeners a glimpse into their headspace and thought process.

In a culture that emphasizes the importance of physical ephemera, demos are also a quick way for punk bands to have some merch to sell at shows. The process emphasizes a primary pillar of DIY: participation through creation.

As a tribute to that concept and to demonstrate how many great young, up and coming punk bands there are in this country, we’ve assembled a list of 20 exceptional demos released in 2015.

Rakins

Halifax’s Rakins are the weirdest band on the list. This group make self-described “self-hating racoon fronted burnout punk.” Taking their name from the way Julian on Trailer Park Boys says “raccoons” just might make them the most Nova Scotian thing ever. Though they’ve got a good sense of humour, the songs still slam too.

Taxie

This demo from Montreal’s Taxie is a whirlwind of urgent riffs and frantic everything else. “Greedy” blazes with a furious punk stomp that recalls Dawn of Humans.

Poison Spur

London, Ontario’s Poison Spur kick off with a boot to the teeth. The band are absolutely pulverizing yet there’s a sense of desperation in their vocalist’s delivery that makes each song soar. There are some great breakdowns here, especially on “Swimming The Witch.”

Alienation

Seeing that this demo from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia’s Alienation was recorded by Negative Rage’s Luke Mumford gives it an Eastern Canada stamp of approval. This is ugly, blistering hardcore punk. Barely reaching the five-minute mark, the demo still manages to leave an impression and you wanting more. Check out their mini-LP to continues the chaos.

Oops

Montreal’s Oops are just like their name – a moment of recognition and clarity. This is the sound of being able to see one’s mistakes for what they are and having something to say about them, no matter what the resulting utterance sounds like. “Don’t Know” is a highlight – their vocalist savagely shouts into an abyss as the bass pulses and the guitar climbs along to a junkyard drum stomp.

Blockhead

Guttural punk from Vancouver. The cover art suggests that Blockhead are what happens when you snatch the ball away from Charlie Brown one too many times. This is some supremely ugly, brutish stuff, but it never comes off as overly macho.

Dilettantes

For a time, Toronto seemed to be overrun with garage rock bands. Now either the city has moved on to something else or I’ve just learned to tune the bad ones out. Regardless, Dilettantes saw where the bar had been previously set and just torched the damn thing. There’s such a wild abandon to these songs, it makes it easy to remember what I liked about garage rock in the first place. Their swagger suggests they know it too.

Gazm

This new outfit from Montreal delivers a fresh set of pit-worthy ragers. Gazm‘s guitars have a stylish flair that reveals some Thin Lizzy worship behind the band’s tough punk exterior.

Genex

The second demo via Winnipeg’s Genex expands their sound like the wall of reverb that they add to flood their vocals. Shared on Bandcamp via the tag “bullshit city”, something tells me there’s plenty more rage where this came from.

Carcass Toss

Like the Farmer’s Walk, Halifax’s Carcass Toss sounds like one of those Atlantic Canadian highland games that just hasn’t caught on yet in the rest of the country. Their demo is a swirling mess of hellish vocals that barely register over a blackened sludge.

Mollot

Featuring former members of Cunt Punt and Spore, Mollot are the future of Toronto hardcore. This demo not only earned them the eyes and ears of the folk at Maximum RocknRoll, but also got an official release via Tobi Records in Chile of all places. The praise and attention doesn’t stop there and is well-earned. This demo is such a fresh and vital piece of music, challenging and unwieldy to its core.

Collagen

Victoria’s Collagen are relentless. The space-erasing quartet tear through four songs on this demo in a hurry, stirring up a mighty fury with their straightforward, no-frills punk. A couple of the songs begin with a “oooow!” which is both endearing and makes it sound as if the vocalist is summoning the chaos that ensues.

The Strap

The Belts And Welts demo by Edmonton band The Strap sounds mildly punitive, and slightly erotic. The post-punk found inside is played loose, with a bit of an ugly edge to it. That ugliness gets embellished by one nasty, nasal vocal performance that’d put Mr. Node to shame.

Manager

Everything is fine? I’m not sure if I’m supposed to believe that when this demo from London’s Manager sounds as volatile and visceral as the best of ’90s pigfuck. They can play fast and loud, but “Impossible Window” finds the band holding back and really showing how great they work as a unit, moving parts and all. Capable of being more than a blunt object, Manager are like a slow poison working its way through your system.

F.I.T.S.

It’s hard to tell from the cover if what we’re seeing is a love-in or a giant, all out brawl, and I suppose Montreal’s F.I.T.S. want to keep it that way. I don’t know much about the band, but I do know that I love their frantic, incessant energy.

Janitor Scum

Calgary’s Janitor Scum demo redefines raw. The vocals sound literally phoned in, while the drums are barely audible over the rumble of the bass. Despite all this, the tape is a slice of some of the greatest mutant punk in the country. Janitor Scum go for broke with the scummy sound and it really pays off. The speedy “Downtown” is a highlight, with its tight rhythm, queasy guitars, tape hiss, and the vocalist’s yelps. Essential.

GRIN

This year’s introduction to Toronto’s GRIN is a staggering one. They bring a heaviness enveloped in unforgiving squalls of noise. The three songs on this demo are incredibly turbulent and fucking bleak, like the best greyscale industrial should be. “Initiation Rites” storms in at a thundering pace that’d put a grin on Justin Broadrick‘s face, whereas “Empty Every Night” is like a series of distorted detonations, and “Waiting” reveals a warped punky core to the band. With this demo, GRIN manages to level everything in their path while delivering a wide swath of sounds to choose from, leaving the possibilities of future directions open and endless.

Ursula

All caps punk straight from Montreal. Ursula is exceptionally hooky, with bass-driven melodies. Their vocalist has a wonderful howl. This demo has a lot of great energy, and is one of those instances that makes you wonder how exactly the band plans on improving what they’re doing, when they sound so fantastic to begin with.

Pavilion

Spidery guitars, infectious bass lines, and commanding drums all drive these songs beneath Grace Scott’s vocals, and reveal a band that really listen to one another and play together. It’s clear that Toronto’s Pavilion are heavily influenced by UK post-punk, but their ear for hypnotic melodicism and balance is all their own. “Pale Shades of Green” is easily one of the best songs I’ve heard this year, demo or otherwise. Great package overall, considering the thought put into songwriting, production, and artwork.

OAF

Before giving it the 7″ treatment via Deranged Records this past October, Vancouver’s OAF dropped this release via their Bandcamp in July, as their third demo, simply entitled III. “Cheat II” starts with a slow insistent beat before busting into a demonic craze worthy of Blazing Eye. OAF are one of the best hardcore outfits in the country right now, and everything on this demo, from their vocalist’s snarl, the tense rushes of guitar, to how the group tears through a song, is proof.