With a sharp eye on the world, honed by the passage of time, this sonic splurge should not be taken at face value
After a decade-long hiatus, Canadian grunge punks Lunchmeat are back to ‘caterwaul about middle age and global catastrophe’ in their new release; ‘End of Man‘. A Toronto/Hamilton band of ‘middle-aged working stiffs’, recommended for fans of Nirvana, Devo, IDLES and Pup, Lunchmeat have shared the stage with LostSounds, Jay Reat*rd, and Zoobombs, and performed at Pop Montreal and NXNE.
‘End of Man‘, recorded at Palace Sound by Christopher Sandes, is their their first album in 17 years since their 2008 debut ‘Animal Sense‘. Vocalist Sam Allemang writes about things such as; the ghosts of Toronto’s Don River, surreal visions of sobriety, labour organising at Amazon, the slow death of suburban life, and the brutalization of Palestine – (engage Canadian sense of humour) – oh yeah, it’s a fun one alright..
Lunchmeat formed in 2003 while working in the rental department of a popular Queen Street music instrument store. Their beer-soaked early shows featured a lineup of just bass, drums and vocals, and included costumes and makeup, taking place anywhere from a punk rock bike shop to the El Mocambo to the alley behind Paul’s Boutique in Kensington Market.
Soon after releasing their first album, ‘life’ took over. The band went on hiatus, members focused on their jobs, schooling and relationships. Some moved cities or provinces, or had kids, or opened businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic was the kick in the arse they needed. They missed playing music together, so in 2021, started jamming again, squeezing in weekly rehearsals into their hectic middle-aged lives.
Fortunately, Sam Allemang (guitar, vox), Rob Castle (keyboards), Mike Leblanc (drums), Wes Moore (bass) and Corey Wells (guitar) also managed to find the time to record this great second album! ‘End of Man‘ is resplendent with ripping guitar solos, pounding drums, chugging bass, and eccentric keyboards.
Opener ‘Lower Dawn‘mashes up Nirvana-esq guitars with impelling new wave keyboards, while ‘Sobering‘ sees a frantic race between every instrument towards a slower synthetic string finale.
‘We Will Make You Eat Your Words‘ was inspired by “bad jobs, the terrible working conditions at Amazon, and Chris Smalls’s work to fight them. Other than the fact it was written and tracked before he ‘did his thing,’ it’s also inspired by Luigi Mangione. And WWE entrance music and The Knack and Nirvana’s Small Clone tone (shout out, Boss DC-2W). Tell your pastor to listen to this and hear the sound of god going to the toilet.”
My favorite song on the album ‘In the Air‘ has something of early Mental As Anything about it – trust me, this is a good thing! It’s a punky, percussive pleaser of a tune with a mental guitar ending! “In the air, I don’t care.”
The irony is strong in ‘Groovy Feeling‘ – distorted 60s garage pop with lyrics of quite a different meaning.. The ‘Man Cave Man‘ inhabits an ever-shrinking circle – take this as a warning! Another synth-heavy number with a Levellers guitar sound.
I’m counting up the number of different bands these guys appear to take inspiration from – in ‘Heads‘ it’s probably The Cure at the forefront! Suitably gothic, I’m hoping this is the next single release – it’s a very strong track indeed.
‘Hey, Mister!‘ is the band’s ‘caterwaul about middle age’. A great guitar solo embedded into a disco meets rock meets Shane MacGowan number! Final track ‘Eye of God‘ is another new wave inspired sonic splurge – the atrocities of the genocide in Palestine providing plenty of sobering material for the lyrics.
The band may seem like an irreverent lot, but half of all profits from the record will go to charities / nonprofits that are important to Lunchmeat, including: PCRF (Palestine Children’s Relief Fund), Sistering, Toronto Wildlife Centre, and Daily Bread Food Bank. Amounts and organizations will be posted to their website.
‘End of Man‘ is out 21st March on the band’s own label Charlie Records, pre-order your Streaming / Download / Copy HERE!
Main Photo Credit: DAVID BLASMAN
- Lower Dawn
- Sobering
- We Will Make You Eat Your Words
- In the Air
- Groovy Feeling
- Man Cave Man
- Heads
- Hey, Mister!
- Eye of God
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