Pale Lips

Pale Lips, a Montreal-based bubblegum punk band, has perhaps the best short biography I have ever read: “drippy mascara slopped rock n roll with sprinkles”. They came exactly as billed for their set at the Ride The Tempo & CMW NeXT showcase at the Silver Dollar Room on Wednesday night, sounding a little bit like a power-pop version of The Ramones. The short version of my review of their set is that the band is absolutely badass. They can shred, they can riff, they can have classic punk-esque gang vocals, but they also have a knack for pop melodies. In all honesty, I think I found my new favourite band. They have a full-length record coming out sometime soon, but in the meantime, you can bide your time with their 2015 EP Got A Sweet Tooth, available on Bandcamp. - Lisa Fiorilli

Up next were Montreal bubblegum babes Pale Lips. Self-described as “drippy mascara slopped rock ‘n’ roll with sprinkles!”, this bouncy bop machine seemed a perfect choice to precede NOBUNNY. A mix of 50s doo-wop with 70s punk (think The Archies run over by The Runaways), these ladies threw down some highly danceable, badass beats. Lead singer Jackie Blenkarn purred and posed on stage with coquettish glee, professing her love for leather-clad bad boys, soda pop, and all things rock ‘n’ roll. Jaime Radu (bass) and Illona Szabo (guitar) strummed out Ramone-esque riffs while ooh-oohing on background vocals, and Lynn Poulin acted as the hardcore heartbeat of this outfit, churning out steady beats with a feisty grin. They played all three tracks of their 7” EP Got a Sweet Tooth released last May. “Candy Song” and “Soda Kat” gave a perfect taste of the sugary sound Pale Lips is perfecting. With confectionary-themed innuendo and super catchy riffs, it’s hard not to get a buzz off this band. But it’s not all syrupy sweetness; much like Willy Wonka’s factory, there are sinister undercurrents to this candy river, as is evident in the sweetly psychotic “Sweet Dreams.” There was a lot of new material played that night that will appear on their full length LP Wanna Be Bad, due to be released soon on Hosehead Records. They also threw in a fantastic cover of “Steamroller” by The Adicts, and I have to say, a little hardcore looks good on them! The crowd definitely wanted to press close to these Pale Lips. I saw some pogos and twisting, a fine way to warm up for our headliner. - Courtney O'Hearn

Alright! I've got something really good for you today! Pale Lips are fast risers on my list of current favorite bands, and I'm beyond stoked about the group's full-length debut Wanna Be Bad! The album is due out this summer, and the Montreal foursome has been swell enough to offer up a couple of sneak peaks in the form of music videos. The latest clip features "Mary-Lou Sniffin' Glue" - which just might be the catchiest song in the history of time! I've literally been playing it on repeat for the past hour. If you're into the Shangri-Las, Nikki and the Corvettes, and of course the almighty Ramones, Pale Lips' "drippy mascara slopped rock n roll with sprinkles" ought to be right up your alley. Following a great demo and even better debut EP, this band seems poised to deliver a knockout debut album. Look for it soon on the two best record labels Canada has to offer: Hosehead and Shake! Records! In the meantime, you can stream "Mary-Lou Sniffin' Glue" and "(You Make Me) Wanna Be Bad" over at Pale Lips' Bandcamp. I can't wait to hear the rest of this record! - Lord Rutledge