Toronto, ON-based punk-rock band, The Cola Heads have re-released their 2017 EP, Die Young on Toronto’s Cursed Blessings Records.
Lead singer & rhythm guitar player, Julian Swift says of the release,
“….Sit back, relax and turn it the fuck up!!!”
Home | Cursed Blessings Records
Official Online Home for Cursed Blessings Records music
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Julian Swift lead singer and rhythm guitar player for Toronto Punk Rock outfit The Cola Heads.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style
Well, I was musically raised by three older brothers whom were all into punk, rock n roll, and metal music. So naturally, they handed off all of their knowledge, records, tapes, and just overall love for different non-mainstream music to me. Some of that music includes bands like Dead Kennedys, Misfits, Screeching Weasel, etc… I think the first song my brother Nick (Biblical, The Illuminati, Drunkula, Mount Cyanide) ever taught me on guitar was Hybrid Moments by The Misfits. I loved the 50’s style of Misfits songs from the get-go because I grew up listening to ’40s and 50’s music from my parents as well. Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys are just to name a few. So as far as our music goes, there are a lot of clear connections between our songs and those bands and eras that paved the way for noisemakers and songwriters like us.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
No upcoming shows as of yet for obvious reasons. But we are working on a new full-length record to follow DIE YOUNG. So in the new year, unless venues are open by then, we will jump on the live stream train and do some performances out of our rehearsal space on the worldwide interweb. Our live show is definitely high energy. We start off fast, strong and loud, and end fast, strong, and loud. With our later stuff, we understand the importance of peaks and valleys when it comes to a live performance and even on an album, so we do have moments of rest and instrumental moments before we kick back in full force to finish a live show strong.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
As far as the 7″ goes I’d recommend the single DIE YOUNG. You will definitely be able to hear an undertone of a 50’s style of songwriting perhaps sounding a bit like Buddy Holly or The Beach Boys as mentioned before. My personal favourite song on the 7″ is SEPARATION because I’m talking a lot about how segregated and competitive the Toronto punk and music scene can be. Not all the time, but in some cases in the past I haven’t felt that welcome, at times that is. It can be very competitive and ego-based. Like a popularity contest, if you will. So SEPARATION is just about that.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
Biblical, Mount Cyanide, Danniel Duval, United Snakes, Matt Good, Head Stones, The Mahones, Chuck Coles, Tommy And The Commies, Fucked Up, No Warning, Propagandhi, Gob, The Flatliners, White Lung, Cancer Bats, Ripchords, Comeback Kid, The Viletones, Weaves, Taylor Knox, Tom Boy, Forces, The Golden Dogs, Zeus, Century Egg, Weakerthans, Chilldozer, The Illuminati, The Balconies, Jackie Neville, Lido Pimienta, Bernice, The OBGMs, Skye Wallace, Simon Outhit, Robin Hatch, Jeremie Albino & The Rose Hall, White Cowbell Oklahoma, and PRIORS just to name a few.