Racket

There is something nostalgic about a cassette tape, a certain comfort for some that can be traced back to being young, making a mixtape for someone full of all these musicians that you worked so hard to track down. For Racket, the Calgary-based foursome that is making a name for themselves, it was an easy option to put their EP out on a cheap format. The four members, Kyle Lanigan, Justin Brooks, Stephen Derer and Mike Couvillon, range between the age 19 and 25.

They have been barely old enough to remember when tapes were the primary way of getting our music, but they have the appreciation for the art form. The tape itself comes with an online download code, along with original artwork from Kyle Berger. This how music was once distributed, at show for a couple bucks and you walked away with something that band worked hard to put together. In this digital age its nice to walk anyway with something after seeing a band that you highly enjoyed. The six-song EP is catchy right off the hop.

Opener “Chicken Nuggets” is a true form of punk rock that is impossible not to appreciate.

“We aren’t trying to reinvent anything, just making music that we love and hope others enjoy it as well,” Derer explains before he has to meet up with his dad to see Black Sabbath.

“Hoo R U” has classic, punk heartbreak-vibe lyrics, tracing the need to get fucked up to forget about someone whom you’re unable to shake: “I need a drink, so that/ I don’t gotta think/about you/baby about you.” “Transistor Boogie” might encourage the listener to start taking up surfing. For a little under 10 minutes, you’re taken away on a hyper fun series of six songs. Racket will be playing their tape release show at Tubby Dog. The venue is completely fitting and staying true to the style of music they offer and the fun time that shows at Tubby always offers.

Catch Racket for their tape release on May 10 at Tubby Dog.

By Danni Bauer - Beatroute