The name of Darlene Shrugg probably doesn’t ring a bell with you yet, but those behind it should. The band quietly arose from the shadows of the Toronto rock scene around 2013 as a side-project for Tropics, namely drummer Simone TB and psych guru Maximilian Turnbull (famously known as Slim Twig of DFA Records), but they solidified Shrugg’s strange magic with the addition of Meg Remy (the brains behind Polaris Music Prize nominee U.S. Girls) as well as Carlyn Bezic and Amanda Crist (a.k.a. electro-pop duo Ice Cream). The ad hoc supergroup splayed a string of random shows for a couple years until Fucked Up’s Young Guv convinced them to lay down their debut album with engineer-producer Steve Chahley, and here we are.
The self-titled debut album of the Darlene Shrugg is slated to appear on October 27th through Upset The Rhythm, but they have elected to share “Strawberry Milk” with us now. It’s arguably the most blissfully progressive track on the album. It starts off with effervescently ambient synths swirling around the listeners ear until a heartbeat bass begins to chug, at which point the synths suddenly coalesce around an angelic voice, rising with baroque-pop strings and a Laurie Anderson-esque choir, ultimately launching the rock rocket to psychedelic heaven in its final minute. Experience this sweet confection for yourself below.
Darlene Shrugg tracklisting:
01. Inherit The Wind
02. First World Blues
03. Wah Wah
04. Strawberry Milk
05. Technicolour Surround
06. National Security
07. Pete Rose Boogie
08. Where’s Your Brother?
09. Freedom Comes In A Plastic Card
More about: Ice Cream, Slim Twig, Tropics, U.S. Girls
