We are pleased to declare that today, June 2nd, is now a brand new public holiday for everyone! That's right, don't bother going to work, instead go to the park or have a bbq with your nearest and dearest.

BUT WHY?

Well today is the day that Toronto post-punk alternative trio Your Grandad release the first single, CERB, from their self-titled debut album. The track is written in memory of the utopic glimpse that the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit gave us during the pandemic.

GIVE US THAT GOVERNMENT MONEY. Listen now on Spotify or bandcamp.

If you weren't aware, Your Grandad is a three-piece band with Cameron Kirk (bass, vocals), William O'Neill (guitar, vocals) and Max Sheffel (drums, vocals). Once combined, they have a disposition to make edgy, sharp post-punk.

Speaking of the single, Max told us...

"CERB is full of moments which colour, contrast, and interrupt its playful lurch. On paper, the track borders on monotony, which we use as an opportunity to never actually stay settled into a groove for too long, twitching instead with anxious desires."

"All this explodes into the high-octane coda, celebrating the titular government benefit."

In CERB, we can hear what songwriter Cam was feeling in the early days of quarantine... lazy contentment, which may be familiar to those of us who were lucky to maintain some companionship when we were ordered to stay at home, coupled with dreams of an escape and return to the real world.

This single represents a joyous silver-lining of hope for future social reintegration, but more importantly, it also represents the beginning of one of the greatest album roll-outs of all time...

Your Grandad from Your Grandad, will be released via Safe Sounds in late 2023. Before then, you will be treated to regular single instalments and limited edition cassette releases, and at the end of it all you may just have some new wax to add to your collection!

Support this release now via bandcamp and don't forget to stream it on every music platform possible.

We're continuing to pump a barrage of RUM DO content into the atmosphere for the first time in years. It's all in anticipation of the new EP, 'You Just Have To Be.'

Today marks the release of the music video for 'Lighter', which follows Bill Cutbill on a tranquil psychedelic walk through the Canadian bush at Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario. It's the chillest moment on the EP, and probably the least produced song as well.

RUM DO is very much an audiovisual project, with all the music released over the duo's lifespan arriving alongside accompanying visuals. The moving pictures stretch continuously between tracks as a never-ending consciousness, though the format has morphed over time.

Bill Cutbill, who handles the visuals for RUM DO says —

"With this, the final EP, we wanted to reflect the history of RUM DO in the visual progression.

Our debut EP featured visuals in a 3:4 SD format, for a VHS quality, which suited the footage I wanted to use which was shot on old mobile phones. We then raised the bar to 16:9 HD visuals for the second EP, which was then expanded to 4k with the intervening double-a side release.

For this EP, we've circled back to 16:9 HD, whilst incorporating a mix of digitally generated footage, mobile phone footage and manipulated visuals that have been so synonymous with RUM DO. This final chapter is intended to complete the full circle that this project represents."

You Just Have To Be can be purchased on limited edition cassette via Bandcamp. Check out all the tracks on Spotify or visit YouTube for the full visual experience!

There's a brand new single out today — Lighter — which is taken from RUM DO's upcoming EP, You Just Have To Be [SS118].

The first single No Worries which was released in December, represents some of RUM DO's most upbeat sounds to date; funky bass, warm textures and calming vocals.

Well they've very much carried on in this vein with the release of Lighter, which is an airy upbeat classical guitar track with washing ambience, soft synths and an organic rhythm.

Speaking of Lighter, Bill Cutbill of RUM DO said —

"This was written and recorded during the stay-at-home order. I was very much trying to use music and the recording process to channel some inner peace and tranquility at that time.

"To me, No Worries and Lighter will forever be linked by that conscious effort to meditate on a feeling of lightness and joy.

"Being stuck at home was both stressful but also in some ways calming. I hope that people listening to the single will absorb some of those feelings that I was able to conjure while recording it at home.

True to RUM DO's style, Lighter has a lot of hidden texture. What's slightly different in the case of this single, is the lack of digital percussion, the use of open space, and the light use of vocals.

Listen on Spotify now and make sure you follow RUM DO so that the lords and ladies in the emerald Spotify castle know to inform you every time there's a new track out! We appreciate your support.

We are delighted to share RUM DO's new single No Worries with the world.

You won't want to miss this funky track, which features Harry Perry's most infectious bass-line ever, brought about from a first time collaboration with epic drummer Bradley Thibodeau (of Possum and Ready The Prince).

No Worries is the debut single from RUM DO's third EP — You Just Have To Be [SS118], which will be trickling to you track by track until its full release in April 2023.

Talking about the origins of the single, Bill Cutbill of RUM DO said —

"When writing the lyrics for No Worries I was very consciously trying to channel something which threw away my normal melancholy outlook and focused more on the positives.

"During the pandemic, I was searching for an inner sense of peace by meditating musically on the thought of it; what that might feel like and sound like. These were the bones on which the track was built.

"It was fantastic to work with Brad because he added an infectious shuffle that immediately gave it more purpose rhythmically. I really hope listening to No Worries also fires off some serotonin in your brain because for me it really does emit a feeling of warmth, peace and relaxation!"

Listen on Spotify now and make sure you follow RUM DO so that the lords and ladies in the emerald Spotify castle know to inform you every time there's a new track out! We appreciate your support.

Well I never, if it isn't one year since Idious Carrie released the beautiful 'O'! I'm sure you'll join us in the celebration by searching for and following Idious Carrie on your preferred music platform, and giving the singles a spin!

The beautiful and heartfelt tracks, '9 Lives' and 'The World as a Loose Garment' are ageing like a fine wine. How time flies when you look back at music from this Toronto powerhouse of a scene.

Idious will be performing a very intimate house show tonight, Thursday June 23rd. If you want to come, drop us a DM on Instagram and we'll reveal the details.