Start Listening To: Hot Garbage
Jump into your new favourite neo-psych hotpot. Warning: it’s highly flammable.
If you threw together Can on their most psychedelic, post-punk agenda and some mystical experiences, the outcome would definitely be intriguing. That’s what a bunch from Toronto thought as well and named it Hot Garbage. They’ve mastered the art of melting glossy metallic melodies with otherworldly, slow-burning distortion and came up with something out of this dimension. Wanting to create a shared experience Hot Garbage has extracted the best of their wickedness and translated it all into their debut album, ‘Ride’. Today, they’re inviting us to trip with them.
Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from?
J: We are Hot Garbage and we’re from Toronto.
How did it all start?
J: Alex and Mark had been playing together on and off since they were teenagers. When they formed this project in 2014 or 2015, I ended up joining on bass and then Dylan came in on keys.
If you were to describe your sound to someone who’d never heard you before, what would you say?
A: We try to keep it decently evil. Strange at times, fun at times. Some past, some present, some future sounds. Using a rocky, psychy, post-punky kind of sound to write songs that are hopefully fun on a record, at home and fun to see live too.
How are you feeling about the release of your debut album Ride?
J: We made this record just before the pandemic and decided to sit on it for a bit, so we’re excited to finally be putting it out. We’re really proud of how it turned out and sharing it feels like an emotional release of sorts.
What’s it like working with the record label Mothland?
J: We feel really lucky because we were friends before we started working together, so the work relationship is very natural. Also, it’s great to have an excuse to spend more time in Montreal.
A: It’s so important to work with people who find joy in what they do and you can tell the Mothland team really does. They like that dark evil type stuff too so it’s a great fit. Ride is actually a release number 13 for them and dropping around Halloween so we’re excited.
Can you tell us more about how you produce your music?
J: For this record, we worked with Graham Walsh and it was a really positive experience. We recorded a lot of it live off the floor at Palace in Toronto, then did some overdubs at Graham’s home studio, where he also did all the mixing. He was really patient with us and open to trying out weird things; when he gets in the zone he’s like a mad scientist, in the best possible way. I think we all came away from it with a renewed appreciation for the process and have learned a lot.
Leading up to the recording, we had a basic recording setup in our rehearsal space so we could track demos and get the songs where we wanted them before heading into the studio.
What inspires your music?
J: Our music is inspired by a wide array of influences including new and old music, classic cinema, mystical experiences…
We are also definitely inspired by the local scene here in Toronto, and by peers we’re getting to know in Montreal.
What’s it like being compared to bands like Can and Battles?
J: That’s sweet, I can dig where that might come from. It’s cool to hear the different associations people make when they hear our music, it’s pretty varied.
Can you tell us something interesting about the band that doesn’t have anything to do with music?
J: We’re all earth signs.
What advice would you give for anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to your band?
A: Replicate stuff you like and start mixing sounds to make your own thing! Be real with yourself and check yourself regularly. Don’t get discouraged. Most importantly keep writing and completing songs and moving forward!
How has Toronto influenced your music?
A: This place is the backdrop to our lives. The energy you get from this place fuels you. There are so many amazing people here who keep you motivated and sharp. You need it because living in Toronto is a grind these days.
If your band were a film or TV show which would it be?
A: I mean probably Scott Pilgrim vs the World. It’s a fun 2000s movie about bands playing in Toronto, done in a kind of comic book/anime style. It shows a time when the music community was strong and the city had a really cool feel. I feel like it’s kind of happening again and maybe this music scene could be the sequel.
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s important to you?
A: Just heard CSNY - Deja Vu at a friend's place the other day and remembered how good that album is. That album has always hit me hard. Ol’ Neil really puts ‘er down.
What do you hate right now?
A: Wealth divide, racism, sexism, homophobia, lack of response to environmental disaster… How much time you got?
What do you love right now?
A: Seeing music slowly coming back. We’re still waiting to be able to play full capacity shows without seating, but it’s been so special to reconnect. Both as a musician playing shows, and as a music lover watching them.
What comes next in the Hot Garbage story?
A: We’re releasing our first full length record, Ride on October 29! As I mentioned, we’re beginning to play reduced capacity shows in Canada now. Hopefully we’ll be back to touring the US by the spring or maybe even earlier. We’re currently demoing new stuff, which is really exciting, especially after all this time off. Hopefully we’ll be playing across the pond by 2022.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
A: Thanks for taking the time to check us out!