Absolute Losers Get Real With In The Crowd

The P.E.I.-based rock trio shift gears and update their sound on their infectiously catchy and heartfelt sophomore album.

By Joseph Mastel

Photo by Justin Rix

Published on September 25, 2025

Once defined by scrappy post-punk energy, Absolute Losers now sound like a band hitting their stride. On their sophomore album In The Crowd, the Charlottetown trio swap jagged edges for sweeping harmonies and Beatles-inspired power pop, pushing their sound into bold and unexpectedly tender territory. It’s an album that feels both more expansive and more personal, balancing heartfelt storytelling with hooks built for sing-alongs.

Connecting with RANGE, guitarist/vocalist Josh Langille and drummer/vocalist Daniel Hartinger reflect on the record’s themes and sonic growth. “Pretty much what the album is about is navigating through life with the people that you know, who you work with, and who you are in a relationship with — it’s just all about that,” says Josh.

Hartinger adds that this shift toward personal storytelling was intentional: “We just wanted to make down-to-earth songs. It felt more natural to sing about stuff we find real instead of, like on the last album, painting a picture that wasn’t necessarily our own experience. We’re all in different stages of our 20s, so we’ve had a lot to process since we did the last album.”

That openness shines through on the title track, written by bassist and lead vocalist Sam Langille, who wasn’t present for the interview but whose presence is felt through the heart of the album. “In The Crowd” draws on childhood memories Sam and Josh shared at their grandparents’ cottage in Flat River, P.E.I., and touches on themes of family, loss, and remembrance. “I feel like Sam really tapped into his emotions for that song, which he’s not usually someone to do,” says Josh. “It makes me tear up sometimes because it’s so real. It’s about our grandparents, but also our parents and everyone who’s supported us — whether it was hockey or music. The whole kick of the song is that they’re still there, cheering you on in life.”

Much of the band’s writing happens in the winter, when the island slows down and they hole up together. “In the summertime here, there’s so much going on — it’s a very vibrant little town… then winter comes around and there’s like nothing to do… but a lot of songs get written over the course of winter,” Josh says. “We’re all getting together for something to do… and just get together and write songs and play and fool around. Since I’ve started playing in bands and stuff, I always look forward to the winters because we get so much done.”

Growing up around hockey gave them a natural shorthand for collaboration — a team-first mindset that carries into the studio. As Hartinger puts it: “I know I have definitely struggled with letting go of my baby; like ‘My song is my baby.’ Over the years, it’s gotten a lot easier to collaborate, especially because I’ve made music with Josh and Sam all of my adult life.”

Sonically, In The Crowd marks a clear break from their debut At The Mall. “Our first album is more post-punk, irregular rhythm, and not a whole lot of melody going on in terms of the vocals,” Josh reflects. “This new one… we’ve been obsessed with The Beatles again, we always have been, but we’ve been really influenced by British pop and rock — for myself, Oasis — and a lot of vocal-heavy bands like Fleetwood Mac… The biggest thing is we’ve been singing a lot more together and using a lot more harmonies.” The stacked voices widen their palette: “It fills out the sonics in our sound — adds more sound by using our voice as an instrument and a texture.”

You can hear that shift all over the record. “For So Long” leans into ’60s British pop rock — or, as they put it, “it gets a little bit British.” Meanwhile, “At The Same Time,” name-drops Toronto Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin, and takes inspiration from another legendary British band. “I was thinking of The Who or something like that, where it’s big, wide-open rock and roll,” Josh says.

Overall, In The Crowd feels like a looser, more joyful chapter. “I think of it as a sort of snapshot in the band’s life in this transition to making music that is more akin to the stuff we like and the stuff that we want to sing about,” adds Hartinger. And while they’re already joking about era three (“Third album called In The Club”), In The Crowd captures Absolute Losers widening their scope without losing their heart.