It’s Friday. It’s officially summer. And best of all, it’s the weekend! Shut down that office PC. Ditch that business suit. It’s time to party, and what better way than to get down with some loud and lively rock music, or some groovy disco style dance tunes. No matter which party you want to crash, we’ve got you covered here at GDW with a pair of amazing new single releases.
Zuffalo, “Loose Cannon”
Hey, the weekend is here, so we don’t want to go with some easy-going, soothing mid-week coffee shop sounds here. No, the weekend is the time to let loose, so why not get any party started with “Loose Cannon,” the latest single from Toronto funk-rock band, Zuffalo. As the highly anticipated second single from their forthcoming debut album, this tune is a 5:12 minute journey of epic proportions. Dirty and distorted guitars lead the way, accompanied by a lively thrashing of the snare drum, and thumping bass grooves that assault your ear drums at just the right times. Boasting plenty of raw and unadulterated energy to match her amplified companions, lead vocalist Kim Manning demands your attention with her gritty delivery. Zuffalo quickly have this song stuck in your head with their energetic rootsy singalongs and original lyrics.
It is impossible to ignore the loud and coolly obnoxious guitar solo, one more akin to the bluesy rock styles of say Zeppelin’s Jimmy Paige and The Sheepdogs’ Jimmy Bowskill; eventually yielding to a momentary peaceful vocal interlude where Kim temporarily helps bring your pulse back down from its critical rate. Looking to start your weekend with some hard-rock? How about some funky blues-rock? Maybe even a little retro-rock too? Who says that you can’t have a Molotov cocktail of all three? If that’s what you need, Zuffalo are only too happy to help scratch your proverbial itch. “If you open the door of your mind and let out your ideas, they will find a dancing partner,” the band states. “We were grateful to be in such a creative space … and hope our personality is shown through stories within the music.”
Ludic, “2 Myself”
Okay, if the funk rock grooves and distorted guitars from Zuffalo were a little too loud for your particular dance party, Vancouver trio Ludic offer a delightfully bright and unique brand of groovy music with their brand new track, “2 Myself.” Opening with a similar guitar lead-in, the dirty sound is replaced here by a singularly electrified riff to get this one going, very much in the style of Bahamas. And there are no explosive drums and bass that follow, but a more throwback late seventies funk-synth sound. Unlike Zuffalo’s sweaty rock concert venue, Ludic can be found in the dance halls, where mirrored disco balls still hang from the ceilings, and the floors are packed with movers and shakers. These are sounds from an era that precedes the rising snow-wash denim fade that followed soon after.
There is no ignoring the distinct vocals from Ayla Tesler-Mabe, better known for her work with Calpurnia, who is joined here by brothers Max and Rhett Cunningham; forming a trio who seamlessly blend vintage and modern funk, jazz, soul and pop music. “2 Myself is our conscious effort to emulate some of the sounds of present-day pop music while still maintaining what make us Ludic,” the trio explain. “A little bit pop, maybe even a little bit disco and soul – we wanted to write a song that was as infectious and danceable as it is thoughtful and introspective.”
With production duties handled by Ryan Worsley (Said The Whale, Dear Rouge) at Vancouver’s Echoplant Sound studio, “2 Myself” offers enough disco floor grooves and retro soul riffs to satisfy any nostalgic Saturday Night Fever desires. “Sometimes you feel like you need to be with someone just for the sake of not being on your own,” the trio add. “By the end of [this song], the realization strikes that sometimes taking time to just be alone with yourself for a night is what you really need.” Hey, if Tony Manero lived for the weekends, then why can’t we all?
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
