Back Alley Gospel – “Northbound” (Single Review) + Five Questions With

Back Alley Gospel unveils their latest single, “Northbound”

Toronto, ON-based punk rock band Back Alley Gospel plays an anthemic, emotional, and rustic strain of punk rock.

The five-piece has unveiled their debut single, “Northbound,” from their upcoming EP, Hold Up Your Head, set for release later this year.

Review

“Northbound” serves as a wonderful introduction to Back Alley Gospel. The fast-paced punk-rock song combines driving guitar riffs, pounding drums, and a catchy chorus.

The lyrics, “So hold up your head now darlin’, It ain’t the end I promise, One of these days you’re gonna see me around, Heading Northbound,” convey a sense of reassurance, telling the listener to keep their head held high while adding the suggestion of finding one’s way to a brighter future.

Throughout the song, Back Alley Gospel’s high energy and timeless lyrics keep the listener hooked and yearning for more from the band.

Overall, “Northbound” is a perfect example of an anthemic punk-rock track reminiscent of such bands as Simple Plan and The Offspring, from a fantastic up-and-coming Canadian band.

Listen to “Northbound” below and learn more about Back Alley Gospel via our Five Questions With segment.

Care to introduce yourself to our readers?

We’re Back Alley Gospel, a punk-rock band from Toronto. We’re a new band on the block, but we’re excited to be here and stoked to share the music we’ve been working on. Our members are Trent White (vocals and guitar), Matt Bellissimo (drums), Mark JB (guitar), Ashton Pereira (guitar), and Jen Benton (bass).

Tell us a bit about your most recent release.

Our first single is called “Northbound,” one of the first songs we wrote for our upcoming EP. Lyrically, the song dwells on themes of both nostalgia and escapism, the feeling of longing for someone or some time in the past but keeping your head high and focusing on the future as you move forward. Musically, we’re a three-guitar band, and this song is a very good showcase of how we wield the instrument beyond just having a wall of guitars for the sake of it.

Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?

To be honest, it very much depends on what we’re currently listening to. The bones of our band lie with acts such as the Gaslight Anthem, Against Me, or the Menzingers, but I can’t tell you the number of times we pulled a song or an idea out of the air because we were listening to songs from Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Jeff Rosenstock or Ronnie James Dio. There are a lot of varying tastes in this band, so it’s an enjoyable process to throw ideas into a blender and see what unique concoction emerges.

Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?

Our first show will be at See-Scape in Toronto on April 14th.

What’s your goal for 2023?

We’re going to be releasing lots of new music! Our first full EP, Hold Up Your Head, is on the way, and we plan to play as many live shows as possible before starting work on album two!

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Jenna Melanson

I’m Jenna, the founder and editor of Canadian Beats. I have had a strong love for Canadian music, which started many years ago. I have a passion for promoting these talented Canadian bands and artists, and that’s how Canadian Beats came to be.

Canadian Beats has grown to become more than media, and what a journey it’s been.