Smalltown rockers cleopatrick are here with their debut album, BUMMER. And it’s ready to go hard if you’re ready to go hard with it.

Across ten tracks and 28+ minutes, the Cobourg, Ontario duo continue to put themselves in the conversation when we’re talking about new rock acts, Canadian bands ready to make bigger worldwide waves, and maybe most of all right now, artists we really really want to see live when they get on stage again around here (The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto. December 11, 2021).

It’s garage-y and grungy and is going to make you want to test the limits on your speakers. It’s raw but not sloppy. It’s rock and roll, baby.

From the top (VICTORIA PARK), BUMMER sets the tone for the rest of your half-hour listening experience. You can hear the fuzz in the back, you can feel the drums getting ready to pound and drive, and the feeling of the guitar and lyrics and all of the pieces coming together is an ‘are you prepared for this? because we’re going now’ expression of dudes making rock and roll music. More on VICTORIA PARK in a minute.

Let’s go backwards for a second first though, because the song that got us ready for the new album was FAMILY VAN when it caught our attention in late April. If you haven’t heard it yet, start with the video now so we can get on the same page – and then let’s keep going.

cleopatrick – FAMILY VAN

Here’s what we wrote in the New Music Spotlight when FAMILY VAN was released, “cleopatrick are back and rocking with FAMILY VAN. About the song, Luke says, “It’s an exercise in anger, and a conscious acknowledgement of the humble beginnings, independence, and DIY mentality that makes our band what we are.” And ya, you can hear that. These boys keep bringing the heat, and if there’s more to come, we’ll be ready.

Also, if you’re looking for something to help you fill your time, check out FAMILY VAN: THE GAME! Help the band get from Cobourg to their gig in Toronto. It’s silly and fun that’s a win.”

Two smalltown pre-school aged friends (Luke Gruntz, Ian Fraser) growing up together, loving music, forming a band, and getting traction is a fairy tale type story. And while I don’t think we’re going to see a Disney movie about cleopatrick just yet, it’s a nice wrinkle and reminder that music is fun and can start from and continue on a path that starts from friendship and a shared love of listening to and creating cool songs.

Note: As a kid from Port Hope, ON, I’ve had a rivalry/grudge thing against the small town next to us inside of me since I was somewhere around 13 years old. Now, decades later, here I am giving love to a rock and roll band from Cobourg, my Shelbyville – and I’m glad to do it. But, it’s still Cobourg.

Okay, now back to VICTORIA PARK, the first song on the album and the introduction to what comes on the rest of the LP. It got a release day music video which we’ve got for you here – and in an email, Luke said this about the song, “It’s the sonic mission statement for our debut album. It’s our thesis, our first impression. The proverbial icebreaker. It’s named after a real Victoria Park here in Cobourg, Ontario; a place where Ian and I have both spent countless summer days and nights throughout our lives. It’s a green space that was named after Queen Victoria in an effort to impress the crown, during a time where this town was so young and prosperous that they truly believed they could be chosen as the capital of Canada. Standing here today in what is now a sleepy rural retirement community, I feel a strange sense of tragedy lingering around this park. in my eyes, it is a monument to a long lost ambition, and for that reason, it inspires me.”

I’m closer to the subject matter than most, being from the area, and having a similar historical story from my hometown, but even if you don’t have. that, VICTORIA PARK is a fantastic way to kick off this album and either be introduced to or start a new chapter with cleopatrick. And when THE DRAKE starts right after it finishes, you’re still on the same ride, the same vibe, the same rock and roll adventure – and you’ve still got 25 minutes to go.

cleopatrick – VICTORIA PARK

cleopatrick has built themselves a fanbase and reputation through singles and EPs. Hometown is a hit with nearly 50,000,000 streams on Spotify and another 50 million-plus across other tracks. In the same email, Luke said, “Making BUMMER, we actively spoke about it as if it would be the only chance we ever had to make an album. With this in the back of our minds, every note we played and every line I penned carried a tremendous weight. BUMMER is meant to capture what could be our ‘famous last words’.”

We understand the thought process and feeling, but we humbly disagree. cleopatrick is returning to the US and UK for tour dates coming up. They’re making those waves we mentioned earlier. There’s a lot of career and music in front of them, and all signs point to increased success. You love to see it.

Now, it’s time for you to check out the complete BUMMER tracklist and hit play to listen from front to back. If you’re listening on speakers, be smart. If you’re on headphones, be safe. ENJOY!

cleopatrick, BUMMER Tracklist

1. VICTORIA PARK
2. THE DRAKE
3. FAMILY VAN
4. GOOD GRIEF
5. NO SWEAT
6. WHY JULY
7. YA
8. PEPPERS GHOST
9. 2008
10. GREAT LAKES

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Joshua Murray

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