always listening
“1-2-3-4” shouts vocalist Doug McBain as he counts in opening track “Tapping Out” a familiar bit of no-frills-punk-rock. The cover to The McBains’ self-titled debut features the band standing in a row, clad in sunglasses and leather jackets. The homageRead more…
Your Pal Bill: Ruins Everything is the long-awaited EP from multi-instrumentalist Bill Morton (Debt Cemetary, Wordplay). His last EP Plight of the Living Dead dropped in 2017. Heck, it’s been three years since single “Pay 2 Play” was released. ARead more…
Pavlova’s Dog is the sophomore release from garage rockers The Meringues. The Kingston quartet is led by the tag team of vocalist Amanda Pants and vocalist/guitarist Ted Evans, who gleefully trade barbs over a backdrop of squealing guitars and burstsRead more…
Plastic and Wax Issue #4 features write-ups for Nothing Serious, Skid Palace and The Follow Ups and highlights a slew of 2024 releases. Check out the playlist below to listen to the bands mentioned in our summer issue. Grab issueRead more…
Here’s a fun one. Moncton’s The Follow Ups deliver their second LP – the follow up (sorry, couldn’t resist) to 2019’s The Follow Ups … Don’t Like You Either. It’s 12 tracks of goofball nonsense (plus 2 semi-serious tunes) clockingRead more…
Skid Palace is the new project from Peterborough-based solo artist Ryan Kennedy. As the title suggests, Love Is A Broken Record is a mighty despondent experience. Six down-tempo numbers delivering varying levels of angst. Production is modern (read: huge beats,Read more…
Bitter Days is the new record from Nothing Serious – a trio that lays claim to Basement, Ontario (a nebulous space known to be somewhere around the Durham region) as their home. It’s a continuation of the fast-paced, melody-driven precedentRead more…
Plastic and Wax Issue #3 saw the largest print run yet (350 copies), featured write-ups on Mononegatives, Wasting Time and Fine Motor Control and highlighted new releases from a bunch of great bands. Which bands? Check the playlist* embedded below.Read more…
Calamity is the new EP from Toronto’s Fine Motor Control. Not to be confused with the drum/bass “new grunge” outfit of the same name also from Toronto circa 2004-2007. This band is actually the fifth collaboration between Vello Verder andRead more…
Hurry Up and Wait is the latest from Toronto’s Wasting Time. It’s the immediate follow-up to 2023 EP Chainsaw Dynamos and sees the four-piece picking up right where they left off. It’s a succinct collection of tightly-spun punk-rock head-bobbers. Frontman/songwriterRead more…