Canada’s HARDBALL Are Reimagining Grunge With “NRA” Off Upcoming Debut S/T Album Out July 21st
Hardball is an emerging punk/grunge act from Vancouver, BC, Canada, who are set to release their debut self-titled album in July. The deadly trio of seasoned musicians is eager to play something that is uncommon these days and the new album delivers something that is reminiscent of the 90s with a modern twist amidst the punk and grunge rock chaos. The second single is “NRA”, which captures huge-sounding drums, and over-the-top-heavy, layered guitars. To them, the vibe is also very important and resulted in rerecording some sections many times trying to get the energy exactly how we wanted.
According to Hardball, the single is musically just supposed to sound completely bonkers. Drums going completely ape all over the place, obnoxious riffing, and big low-tuned power chords, the heavily distorted bass guitar holds down the main riff. Lyrically, it is an anthem about gun control. Not really even with a coherent position on the matter. Calling it NRA despite not directly having anything to do with the NRA, was a humorous take on them. Vocalist/guitarist Scott Budgie explains more:
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that the US has major social problems that have led to regular shootings. I don’t like it, and I can’t do anything about it. But, I’m going to shout about it the way a scared, confused child might. I think listeners will recognize that we’re not a nostalgia act, there is a clear influence from contemporary punk and hardcore that shows through. I think people will recognize that this is original and genuine music.”
Hardball is composed of former Poles frontman and Vancouver local Scott Budgie, as well as Okanagan residents, drummer Jeremy Head also of The Motion Picture, and bassist Jamie Black. Their self-titled album is a joint production between recording engineer Matt Roach of Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, BC (Baptists, Misery Signals, Comeback Kid) and mix engineer Felix Fung of Little Red Sounds in New Westminster, BC (Needles//Pins, Girlfriends and Boyfriends, Mode Moderne).
In support of the album, Hardball is setting out on tour this August with appearances throughout Western Canada. Full tour dates are listed below. They are recommended for fans of Wipers, Hüsker Dü, and Flipper.
Listen to “NRA” below and learn more about HARDBALL via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hardball is a grunge rock trio that basically formed by accident due to the 3 of us being friends from kindergarten that just happened to be hanging out all the time. I’m not sure why grunge exactly, since none of us are particularly like that on our own, but that seems to be the result of the chemistry here. Anyway, we hope you’ll enjoy the skull-crushing good-time vibes we are working to conjure.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
The most recent release is our first official one- many of these songs date back a ways to an earlier time when we had no clue or means as to how to go about producing them. We made several attempts at making this record in years prior but didn’t have the money, skill, or knowledge to pull it off. Eventually, all 3 fell into place and we were finally able to document these songs that for some reason we never got sick of. Long story short, here we are later, finishing what we started several lifetimes ago.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
The process I use with Hardball is different from what I would do on my own. With Hardball, most of the inspiration comes from jamming with the band- it’ll usually start with a riff or song idea from Scott, and the rest of us will start riffing off of that until we have something cohesive. We all sort of take part in shaping the overall structure and arrangement of the songs, but the basis is usually something Scott came up with. Where did HE get it from though?
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
Yes, we’re doing a slight amount of touring this summer- we will be in Vancouver for a few shows, then Nelson, Edmonton, Calgary, Oliver, and Salmo this coming August. Please see our Facebook or Instagram pages for exact tour dates.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Well, it’s a bit basic but I think the goal is to share this record we finally have several eternities later as widely as we can, and to support it as well as we can by delivering the songs well for audiences. Just basic band stuff.