Hamilton punk trio The Penske File have just released the first single from their upcoming album, Reprieve, out on October 3rd. “Lions” serves as a call to keep life on track while celebrating the beauty in change. We caught up with the band to chat about the new music, what they’re listening to these days, and their non-musical hobbies.
From The Strait:Tell us about the new single, “Lions”.
The Penske File: Lions is a song written by our drummer Alex Standen. It was one of the first songs we worked out for the album and has remained a favourite of the batch we wrote for Reprieve
From The Strait:What can fans expect from your upcoming album, Reprieve?
The Penske File: Reprieve is a bit different than our other albums. We made a conscious decision to branch out sonically while writing his album. There are songs on here that are faster and more aggressive than anything we’ve ever done in the past. There are also songs that are more intimate and stripped down than anything we’ve ever done. We wanted the production to better reflect our live shows and, as such, recorded most of the main tracks live in a room together and forwent some of the layering and studio nuances we’ve been keen to indulge in in the past. Ultimately, I feel like it is our best work and reflects all aspects of the band very honestly.
From The Strait:What artist or band are you listening to most right now?
The Penske File: Currently loving Kathleen Edward’s new album Billionaire, and Haim’s new album I Quit, I’ve also been listening to AM Taxi a whole bunch
From The Strait:What are some of your non-musical hobbies?
The Penske File: Cycling, canoeing, hiking, reading, writing, hockey
From The Strait:Who were your musical influences growing up, and are they different from your current ones?
The Penske File: Our musical influences were pretty aligned growing up, being best pals from a young age. I’d say Blink-182 was the first band that we really got into and kinda propelled us slowly into the world of punk rock, later on that sent us into the realm of Against Me!, Gaslight Anthem, Frank Turner and many more. The Flatliners have also always been a huge influence on us, as they kind of progressed along the path our musical tastes. Growing up in southern Ontario we must have seen them play a hundred times, and have been blessed to share many special shows with them over the years. In more recent years our musical tastes have definitely expanded. from the punk rock roots, but all of the aforementioned bands are still lovingly in rotation.
From The Strait:Describe each band member in one word.
The Penske File: (disclaimer, our childhood friend happened to be around when I was answering this question, he went with a starts with U theme):
James: unique
Alex: useless
Travis: unreliable
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Check out “Lions,” the new single from The Penske File!
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Follow The Penske File: Instagram / Spotify
