Sunglaciers Sharpen Their Psychedelic Edge with "Regular Nature" (Mothland)

Sunglaciers by Em Medland-Marchen

Two years after the release of the explosive Subterranea, Calgary post-punk quartet Sunglaciers have resurfaced with Regular Nature, out now via Mothland. 

Spanning 15 tracks, this latest endeavour pulls from familiar motives to paint a truly vibrant picture. Sunglaciers have always stood on the edge of experimentation, anchored firmly in rock n’ roll while nodding to new wave, garage, and whatever else they please. But Regular Nature comes imbued with the conscious resolution to find something new between the folds. 

Said the group of this dexterous new record:

“We want to make you dance. We want to make you think. We want to make you think while you’re dancing and dance while you’re busy thinking. This is an album for the body, brain and heart. It’s compassionate, frustrated, communal and dreadful. In a world of information overload, where everything comes at you at once, Regular Nature is trying to normalize the phenomenon. This is chaotic music for a chaotic world, a three-way conversation between outer self, the subconscious and the mad world.”

Regular Nature begins with “Fakes,” a compellingly frenzied track that reads like a hi-fi, edgier Devo. “All style, not a lot of substance / Shut out, shut out the noise” chants multi-instrumentalist Evan Resnik as he scorches through a doom spiral. “Right Time” puts a surfy foot forward, propelled by winding guitars and striking snares. But while the band is not afraid to reach an electric climax, best portrayed with the psychic anguish of “Kafka,” it is the wistful freefall of slow-burner “Rotten Teeth” that delivers true refreshment: “I still have dreams of love with no beginning and no end / How can that be if I am walking out the door again?”

Regular Nature is a psych-rock saga, supercharged with exhilarating instrumentation while boasting meditative subtleties. Fortified by its stylistic depth, the album tells an engrossing story of the turmoil that awaits us all.

Regular Nature

out March 29, 2024 via Mothland

1. Fakes

2. Right Time

3. Undermine

4. Cursed

5. Kafka

6. I Remember the Days

7. Interlude

8. Frog Mask

9. A.I.

10. Reef

11. Not Ready

12. Rotten Teeth

13. Gov Shut

14. One Time or Another

15. Waiting for Nothing

Written & performed by Sunglaciers (Evan Resnik, Mathieu Blanchard, Kyle Crough, and Nyssa Brown)

Select instrumentation by Chad VanGaalen, Daniel Monkman, Chris Dadge, Nate Waters, and Cassia Hardy

Recorded by Mathieu Blanchard & Evan Resnik

Additional recording by Chad VanGaalen

Produced by Sunglaciers

Mixing, additional production & digital mastering by Mark Lawson

Mastered for vinyl by Richard White

Artwork by Nyssa Brown & Evan Resnik

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Sunglaciers

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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The Dandy Warhols Go The Distance at Le Studio TD

The Dandy Warhols’ setup at Le Studio TD

2024 marks 30 years of The Dandy Warhols. The Portland psych-rock group have achieved a truly remarkable feat, with 11 studio albums and two compilations thrown into the mix. But with such a legacy comes the responsibility to uphold it, which poses its own challenges; many musicians hide behind the enduring glow of their greatest hits, while others grasp so tightly onto the notion of reinvention that it slips through their fingers. Where do the Dandy Warhols go from here? 

Last night at Le Studio TD, they attempted to chart this very course. Montreal marked the halfway point of The Dandy Warhols’ Spring 2024 tour, with this stop falling just days before the release of their twelfth record ROCKMAKER. An occasion full of promise for the Dandys and their devotees – and one that fortunately (mainly) delivered.

The Dandy Warhols capitalized on a roaring welcome by settling nicely into “Ride,” dousing the audience with a sea of shoegaze. Keyboardist/percussionist Zia McCabe commanded the stage all night, handling multiple instruments with ease as her auburn hair billowed in the air. Moving through the ROCKMAKER single “I’d Like To Help You With Your Problem” and synth-disco smasher “We Used To Be Friends” felt similarly organic.

Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols

Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols

Despite the heavy fluorescent haze, the middle of the set is where things hit a slump. For something that boasts such a distinctive distortion, new tune “Danzig with Myself” (a Frank Black collab) felt lost in the shuffle. A string of Dandy classics seemed to melt into each other, though fans who prefer the band at their breeziest may not have minded. I was grateful for the jolt of B-52’s-esque “The Summer of Hate” and the clarity of “The Last High” to lift the spell. At least Courtney Taylor-Taylor’s obligatory French quips proved charming to the crowd, with the lead vocalist joking that he was working his way up to “chewing out a waiter.” Priorities!

Judging by the resounding reaction, it was the seething bite of “Godless” that brought the Dandy Warhols back to where they needed to be. Just in time, too, for the sticky-sweet “Bohemian Like You” deserved such respect. (I am a Gen-Z music writer – I would be remiss if I did not attach great significance to the soundtracks of DreamWorks Animation films.)

Brent DeBoer and Courtney Taylor-Taylor of The Dandy Warhols

17 songs later, many fans would have been content to keep going, but McCabe drew the night to a close on her MS-20. “Let’s not wait so long,” urged McCabe, offering “je t’aime” before she departed the stage. While several people scattered around to try and find Taylor-Taylor’s guitar pick, other groups could be heard eagerly speculating on ROCKMAKER’s sound. 30 years have come and gone, but the Dandy Warhols continue to juggle an illustrious catalogue with that trademark satirical spark.

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The Dandy Warhols

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Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Trevor Sloan Creates A Nostalgic Blend of ‘70s Psych-Folk, City Living and Everyday Imagery in New Album "Dusk Among the Plum Trees"

Trevor Sloan. All photos courtesy of Trevor Sloan

During a cold and dark winter in Toronto, Trevor Sloan—a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and mixed media artist based in the city—found himself in a cozy room filled with loved ones. His friend started talking about his family’s plum trees and their process of making homemade brandy, and there came the inspiration for his latest album, Dusk Among the Plum Trees, released this spring. 

“I had this picture in my mind of a dusky sky above plum trees,” Sloan says. He went on to write a song by that name, and while it was never finished, the title stuck. “It conjures up images of dusk and night, and I think most of the songs on the album fit with that. I had also been reading a lot of Japanese poetry, which often references plum trees, so that was part of the inspiration too.”

The 11-track record, mixed and mastered by Andy Magoffin at the House of Miracles in Cambridge, Ontario, intertwines simple imagery and everyday themes. With a nostalgic psych-folk sound, the album conjures up images of faded pastel Polaroids, transporting listeners to another time and place.

Sloan explains most of the songs began with simple observations, like how “green grass is after the rain” and evolved from there. He weaves characters and objects into his songs, creating soft, colourful scenes filled with references to “…trashy magazines, singing robins, green steeples, the rubble of a burned-down hotel, coyotes walking on train tracks, and the light under a pigeon wing in flight.”

Many of these observations come from Sloan’s wandering in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood, where he lives. “The song ‘Panther in a Cage’ is about a guy I see walking around my neighbourhood. ‘Sunset Glow’ refers to people and things from around here as well: ‘Old man and his cane… landlords and panthers, women from the shelter, loners and lovers, parrots and flowers.’”

The latter song closes out the album, paying tribute to its title and portraying the “city folk on their way” as the sun sets. Sloan explains, “It paints a picture of my neighbourhood, skillfully weaving together characters and references from other songs into one final closing piece.”

Sloan's sound draws inspiration from artists of the 60s and 70s, such as Donovan, Nick Drake, Labi Siffre, and Cat Stevens. ”There is something natural and genuine about the music from that time,” Sloan says, also highlighting his recent discovery of the music of British folk duo Chad & Jeremy. Songs like “Willow Weep for Me” and “Before and After” have left a lasting impression on him with their "mellow nature, gentle vocals, nice harmonies, and lush arrangements."

He also draws inspiration from new artists like Sylvie, Evan Cheadle (Fault Line Serenade), Dan Edmonds (Good Fortune Assembly), and Jon McKiel (Bobby Joe Hope), among others. “I am constantly trying to discover new music,” Sloan adds. 

These influences are clear in the album’s open track, “Ottawa 1977”, an upbeat homage to his family. While Sloan never lived in the city, he has strong ties with his parents having grown up in the city. 

“I was inspired to write the song after looking at photos from my parents’ collection. I love the warmth of 70s photography. Many of those pictures had the place name and date handwritten on the back,” he says. That idea of the back of a photo is where the song got its name. “I was thinking about my grandmother’s apartment in Ottawa. In the courtyard, there was a clothesline to hang laundry. If you were in the kitchen, the radio was usually on. In the family room, there were often tabloid magazines on the coffee table. For me, it was a golden place full of good family memories. I would say that side of my family is quite spiritual and believes in magic; that is why I used the line, “My family tree is full of mystical minds.”

Accompanying the album is a zine consisting of ten collages and ten poems, a fitting complement to the imagery presented in the record. “I liked the idea of there being something physical that people could have in their hands while they listened to the music (as it is a digital release),” Sloan says.

Sloan started experimenting with collages around five years ago, finding a supportive community on Instagram. “There is this feeling that anyone can give it a try, even if you don't have a background in visual arts. I feel a great sense of freedom in collaging, as I can try different styles. I love working with scissors, paper, and glue. I love the immediacy of collage, being able to make a collage and share it with the world in one night.”

This immediacy contrasts with the longer creative process involved in making a record. “The process of writing, recording, having the music mixed and mastered by someone, and then planning an album release can take over a year. Collage and poetry provide instant gratification while I work on music projects over a more extended period of time. I believe collaging has helped me be more open-minded with music, more willing to experiment, to have fun, and just focus on making the music that sounds good to my own ears.”

While the album creation process takes some time, the recording process itself is more spontaneous. “When I write a song, I record it right away,” Sloan says, who recorded the album at his home studio. “So, I’m writing and recording continually throughout the year. I recorded about 30 songs and then picked what I thought were the best 11. Generally, I write songs on an acoustic guitar. I start with the music and then write the lyrics. I record each instrument, track by track.” 

From there, using an acoustic guitar, some vintage synths and keyboards, bass and a midi software program called SampleTank, Sloan records and layers each instrument track by track, creating his breezy, mystical sound.

“My Roland Juno-106 keyboard was slightly defective during the recording process, which added some interesting warbly drone sounds to some of the songs. That keyboard would get unbearably staticky after a minute of being turned on, so I would have to record those particular parts within one minute or wait until the next night (I've since had the keyboard repaired).”

The resulting album has a mellow, mystical sound, with each song taking the listener to a different moment in time as a true observer. 

Sloan references Francoise Hardy’s Ma jeunesse fout le camp…, as what he says might be “the perfect album to listen to while making dinner,” hoping listeners find a similar kind of quiet comfort and timeless appeal in this album. “I hope Dusk Among the Plum Trees is the kind of album that people would like to listen to while making dinner,” he says. “I hope they find warmth in the songs and the arrangements and it leaves them with a mellow feeling.”

Trevor Sloan. Photo courtesy of Trevor Sloan

Trevor Sloan

Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp | Website

Valerie Boucher is a writer based in Ottawa, Canada. You can follow her on Instagram and learn more at valerieboucher.ca.

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Neo-Psych Rockers Hot Garbage Share Spooky Video for "Sometimes I Go Down" (Mothland)

Artwork by Derek McKeon

Are you in need of some brain-melting psychedelic rock? Well, you've come to the right place. Toronto-based psych outfit Hot Garbage, who are newly signed to Mothland, meld their shiny metallic melodies with gritty krautrock and post-punk rhythms to bring us along on a gaseous neo-psychedelic trip. 

Their latest single, “Sometimes I Go Down,” takes inspiration from the sounds of Sonic Youth, and gives us a taste of their upcoming album Ride. The track is accompanied by a spooky music video featuring mysterious calls in parallel universes, tarot cards, and more

We caught up with the band in anticipation of their set at FME on September 3rd to chat about their music and what's to come in for Hot Garbage in 2021.

Photo by Alex Carre

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: Hi! It's nice to meet e-meet you. I'm interested to know how you all met and how that friendship turned into Hot Garbage.

J: You too. Alex is my brother, so I've known him since birth. He was putting a band together with Mark, who he had played with in bands throughout high school. I jumped in on bass, and Dylan, who I'd recently met through friends, joined shortly afterwards to fill things out on keys/synth.

A: Thanks for having us! That's pretty much it, yeah. We were hanging out and going to shows and listening to music together in Toronto. So we started experimenting with writing and playing together, and it was fun! We started doing little gigs and stuff around the city.

Also Cool: Your sound is unmistakably psychedelic. Can you give us some insight on where your inspirations are coming from and what those different genres' scenes are like?

J: Our musical inspirations are pretty varied. I think for this record we're putting out now, we delved into a lot of krauty / noisy territory - inspired by stuff like CAN, Gary Numan, Sonic Youth, Exploded View. We also draw a lot of inspiration from the local scene. There's a ton of quality music coming out of Toronto. Even without hanging with those people and seeing them at shows, I'm listening to amazing record after amazing record that people have been putting out during the pandemic.

A: Yeah, I think all of us really enjoy a lot of different types of music. From a writing standpoint, psychedelic is a great access point to play with musical ideas. The human experience can be so psychedelic, mysterious or strange at times, and those feelings are also so hard to put into words. So I often feel like psychedelic music is just music that is relatable in that way. We're extremely lucky to be a part of a great music community here in Toronto!

AC: Psych shows are often accompanied by crazy visuals that enhance the overall experience. Do you have any memorable/favourite psych shows that you've been to?

J: Definitely. Anything the Oscillitarium has done visuals for is memorable. They have this magical way of transforming any space. A Place To Bury Strangers at the last Crystal Lake was pretty amazing and intense. I've seen Black Angels a bunch, and they always have great visuals by the Mustachio Light Show. There are also a lot of sets that stick with me from Levitation and Desert Daze over the years, like Iggy Pop, 13th Floor Elevators, Jesus and Mary Chain, John Cale. The installation art and visuals are always really well done at those fests; it's clearly factored into the experience.

A: Yeah, it's interesting to see this live collaboration between visual artists and musicians! Oscillitarioum light shows in Toronto rule. With buds like Possum, Kali Horse, Vypers, Mother Tongues, and so many more. I also remember having a pretty profound experience seeing John Cale at Desert Daze a few years back. The visuals and music hit me so hard. It was such an expression.

AC: I'm curious about the mysterious phone calls in your most recent music video. Can you give us any hints of who the mystery caller might've been? I'd also love to know a bit more about the tarot symbolism in the video.

A: Good question... We were playing with the idea of these kinds of gross dudes (Dylan, Mark and myself) talking on the phone and maybe being warned about something and not taking it seriously. While we're being gross, we meet our demise. Juliana maybe heeds the warning and challenges fate by pulling the right card (mystical tarot magic). She's "in touch" with the caller.

Also for the record, we made this video like a year before the pandemic, so any parallels there were not planned… Last year, when the band could only talk on zoom, we were joking about how it looked just like our music video!

AC: We're very excited to see you play IRL at FME. What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

J: Thanks, we're really stoked to play. I'm looking forward to seeing Paul Jacobs and OBGM's for sure. There are a bunch of friends going who I haven't seen in a while, so I'm excited to just hang out and see some shows. I am going to try and catch Cadence Weapon on Thursday if we get in in time. 

A: Thanks! Yeah, I know Paul Jacobs and the OBGMs have such great energies, and I can't wait to soak that up! Also just to be able to play again and be at a show feels so good. This will be our first indoor gig since the pandemic started.

AC: Lastly, what are your plans for the next year, now that shows are happening again?

J: We will be playing shows around the release of our new record - fall/winter will be mostly local-ish but hoping to make it back down into the US to do some touring in the spring. There is also new material being passed around, so we're going to be working on putting that together for the next thing. 

A: Exactly, finally tour this record! We'll go to the USA again and play some shows as soon as we can. But we've been writing tons during the pandemic, so we'll also be working on new material.

Watch Ride below

Hot Garbage

Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | Youtube
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Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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