Hot Local Singles Presents: Wine Lips, Queens Park & Earth Freaks[Victoria]

Wine Lips

Toronto based garage punk psych rockers, Wine Lips hit the stage for the first time in the fall of 2015. Initially a part time project between songwriter/guitar player, Cam Hilborn and drummer Aurora Evans, the band began playing clubs in Toronto, stretching organically to surrounding Ontario cities, and then Quebec. Wine Lips released their self-titled debut LP on indie label Fried Records in 2017 and set out on their first 5-province tour east to Halifax, and haven’t looked back since. After an appearance in Quebec City, the band was approached with regard to touring overseas. That chance meeting resulted in an April 2018 tour of Hong Kong and China, where they were received by enthusiastic audiences.

Never letting the dust settle, the band released their follow up LP Stressor in March 2019 and toured North America relentlessly until early 2020. The release of Stressor along with endless tour dates earned the band a new following and saw some of the albums tracks featured on television and Netflix. The band spent most of their free time in 2020 writing and recording their third full length record Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party at The Sugar Shack in London, Ontario with Simon Larochette. “The record is crazy, I really spent a lot of time getting the songs to sound the way I was hearing it in my head. I think this is the best stuff we’ve recorded and I couldn’t be happier with the end result!” – Cam. Wine Lips consists of Cam Hilborn on Guitar and Vocals with Aurora Evans on Drums and Charlie Weare on Bass. “Fuzzy, loud and fast, Wine Lips are a garage/ punk/ psychedelic band whose music feels like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. A no holds barred kind of rock n roll that’ll make you want to buy a motorcycle, just to crash it.” – Sled Island

 

Earth Freaks

 

Since forming in 2021, Earth Freaks have worked at a feverish rate and continued to push themselves in a fashion that can be described as nothing short of miraculous. Earth Freaks is a melding of minds and sonic delivery by Zyan Fukushima-Rael (Guitar/Vocals), Riley Stewart (Guitar/Vocals), Evans Daybell-Chambers (Bass/Vocals) and Max Spielman (Drums). The release of two singles last August – Heavy Sunshine and Colour Tones – proved to be sound evidence of the engaging, feel good songwriting that is characteristic from Earth Freaks, and was followed up by a self titled full length debut album Earth Freaks at the end of the year.

After relocating to Victoria last Fall, the group has been working tirelessly to write and record new material and practice their incendiary stage experience. The infectious charm that emanates from Earth Freaks is clearly the result of four best friends doing what they love most: making music that makes you want to move, and having fun while doing it.

 

Queens Park

 

Four amigos who love jumping on the seesaw. Sometimes they will even swing for a while. The band’s first offering, Too Kind to Kill My Darlings, was released this year as an attempt to reinstate the rabbit as a symbol of power. Queens Park was put together by Clayton Ikuta (bass), Owen Rees (guitar), Sina Valizadeh (drums), and Tom Cepeda (guitar). Driven by post-punk and garage rock, elements of fuzz and droning establish irregular shapes as the new state of affairs.

The sincere pursuit of making their friends dance is as present as lyrics asking for help to bring a balloon to the ground. With dirty, fuzzy bass driven digs, Queens Park is known to open the pit and set the stage. Rising in Victoria over the past year, every live show is another statement of Queens Parks’ relentless, frothing energy from the stage into your brain space.