OBGMs
photo by Amanda Fotes

Toronto punks The OBGMs releasing new album this week (watch the "All My Friends" video)

Toronto punks The OBGMs are releasing their new album The Ends this Friday (10/30) via Black Box Music (pre-order). It was made with frequent PUP producer Dave Schiffman, and vocalist/guitarist Densil McFarlane says, “This album is about death, wanting to die, and fighting for something to live for — it’s the end of all things.”

We’re premiering the album’s final pre-release single, “All My Friends,” along with its video. “‘All My Friends’ is a song about riding until the wheels fall off,” Denz tells us. “If we all spiral to the edge of a cliff, at least I’m doing it with my people. I want my music videos to be movies and this video tells a story of a person afraid of what he sees in the mirror. Are strangers in our lives to be trusted? Are you the stranger and can you trust yourself? I will leave this for viewers to explore. I learned how to direct and edit videos during the pandemic and this is my favourite attempt yet.” The video is indeed very cinematic, and the song is a ripper, as catchy and anthemic as it is loud and driving. The OBGMs hold nothing back and are clearly not afraid to write punk songs that sound like they’re built to fill stadiums. And they do it without ever sounding overly polished or insincere.

“On one hand, I feel that we have written the Record of the Year 2020 across genres,” Denz says. “My hopes are to be elevated to the rock Beyonce status upon release day. I will have a hive of fans that I will refer to as the Bee-hive who will protect us at all costs. Drake will call me, Kanye will call me, and we will talk about the future of music. I’ll get my Grammy and my comeuppance and live happily ever after. On the other hand, my hopes are to have people enjoy the record and feel something. This album took a lot to make, it is a piece of my soul. I just want people to like it a lot.”

Denz also spoke to us a bit about the chaos of 2020, and though it’s easy to feel depressed about everything lately, it sounds like he has a sense of hope. “The pandemic has been a period of social consciousness in which we can all sit back and reflect on who we want to be,” he says. “We made the record we were put on this earth to make, and now we can’t share it with people in person. The blessing of this pandemic is that I have learned to listen and how to use my tools to speak up. You can choose to be silent or you can choose to be a person that affects change. I am going to change my environment for the better to uplift my people. If you’re listening to us, thank you for being with us- know that we are with you.”

Watch the new video below.

Categories: