Canadian Prairie Punks Grimelda Premiere New Video Single, “Freedom”
A reclamation anthem that punches up for artists, weirdos, and shit-disturbing sweethearts everywhere.
by Glenn Alderson
Photo by Lindsey Rewski
- Published on
It’s no secret that “freedom” as an ideology has been hijacked by alt-right assholes and misguided bigots from Bangkok to Calgary. But have no fear, the Saskatoon-based prairie punk duo Grimelda (fka The Faps) are here to set the record sideways with a reclamation anthem in their new video single, “Freedom.”
For nearly two decades, Blair Colwell and Skyler Cafferata have been (mostly) living in Saskatchewan, Canada creating music together that is almost always paired with a raucous and memorable live show wherever they go. Putting the art of networking to the test following a recent trip overseas performing at Focus Wales, “Freedom” features guest vocals from Casper James of the Welsh band TELGATE to create something “angry, satirical, and celebratory of authentic people all at once.”
Colwell explains the ideologies behind the blistering new track: “We’re so lucky to have support from such a wide array of communities everywhere we go, and that’s real Freedom. Gender expression is a big part of someone’s identity and it’s mind-blowing that we still need to fight for the right to literally just be ourselves.”
For the video, Colwell and Cafferata invited several local drag performers to help them bring the track to life, including Ford Ranjer, Roxie Rollerr, Emerald Star, Ivana Beer, Maxim Noize. “All these people are the most badass rockstars, activists, artists, weirdos, shit-disturbing sweethearts and they constantly inspire us,” Cafferata says. “We tend to be fun, ridiculous, and not take ourselves too seriously, but with this one it was important to be loud about our beliefs and try to celebrate and uplift the people around us.”
“We tend to be fun, ridiculous, and not take ourselves too seriously, but with this one it was important to be loud about our beliefs and try to celebrate and uplift the people around us.”
With unhinged rock songs that take their mathy art-punk to new levels, Grimelda’s upcoming EP, It’s So Feeling When You Rock (April 2023), is a collection of tracks that, according to the band, “embellishes rock and roll tropes as much as it tears them apart with its bare hands.” If “Freedom” and their preceding single, “George Thorogood,” are any indication, April is going to be as great as it is greasy, so mark Bandcamp Friday on your calendar and don’t forget to support these prairie weirdos by hitting them where it hertz the most — their wallets.
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