Toronto-based desert punk band Black Budget are back with a brand new single that finds them at their rawest, angriest, and grumpiest form. “Grump” is two minutes and thirty-nine seconds of chaos, tension, and unfiltered frustration – unapologetic and ready to go on a rampage. We caught up with Black Budget once again to talk about the new track, where the band name came from, and what their own curated festival would look like (spoiler alert – you’d want tickets to this imaginary festival).
From The Strait: Tell us about the new single, “Grump”.
Black Budget: Grump’s lyrics were written from the perspective of a grumpy old man who only wants to stay inside glued to news networks. The speed and intensity of the song directly contradicts the values of the “Grump” and reflects their inner turmoil and cognitive dissonance. We all have someone like this in our family.
From The Strait: The band has had a big year so far – what are some of the stand-out moments for you?
Black Budget: We’ve been lucky enough to play with great bands lately, including ivy gardens, waste youth, and thunder queens. Always great to see the punk scene in southern Ontario is alive and kicking!
From The Strait: How did you come up with the band name?
Black Budget: The name black budget is actually a government term, it’s a secret budget that is used for government operations, UFO research, and non-traditional things.
From The Strait: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences, and how have they helped to shape your sound?
Black Budget: We all grew up on different music from metal, 70s and 80s punk, and grunge. Queens Of The Stone Age is a huge inspiration when it comes to song writing, their melodies and arrangements are so unique and heavy.
From The Strait: If you could curate a festival (with you headlining, of course), who would you want on the bill and what would it be called?
Black Budget: Love this question! So it would be Black Budget, Queens Of The Stone Age, Bad Nerves, Minor Threat, and nomeansno. We’d also have our local homies Sunlust, Lucid Smog Disorder, Ivy Gardens, and Lime Ricky! The festival would be called “Black Budget’s perfectly curated punk, stoner, metal, takeover festival”.
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Check out “Grump,” the latest single from Black Budget!
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