Earlier this week, Toronto’s Bad Waitress announced their ripping debut album, No Taste, out on September 3rd via Royal Mountain Records, as well as sharing the first single “Strawberry Milkshake”, with a zombie-filled video directed by Justin Singer (Wild Pink, Daniela Andrade).
A tense, anticipatory track, the band explains:
““Strawberry Milkshake” is saccharine sweet, milky pink terror. On the surface it’s sexy and enticing – but there’s a poisonous sludge bubbling just beneath the surface. With a devious, pulsing chord progression, one hell of a drum fill and a zombie choir that commands you to “shake shake shake shake”, it paints the picture of an all-American beauty pageant with buckets of blood as the cherry on top.“
Bad Waitress’ antsy art punk revels in fits of fury and ego. It spits in your face and winks, ferocious and playful. The Toronto-based four-piece play like they’re conspiring or casting a spell, each member wielding a different power, howls and erratic drum fills and fiery riffs fuelling one another. That improvisation spirit doesn’t stop at their music. Katelyn Molgard, Nicole Cain, Kali-Ann Butala, and Moon finish each other’s sentences. Their conversations flow like free jazz. When asked to describe Bad Waitress’ sound, they agree on one word: conviction. “We play with conviction. There’s nothing apologetic about it,” Kateyln says. “Even with our bizarre song structures, we don’t hide anything in our music. It’s just very…I don’t like the word raw, it’s overused, but…raw.” The band fidget between genres, instead honing a distinct energy. “It’s energetic. It’s electric,” Moon adds. “It’s whatever word that we can think of later that’s better than raw.” Nicole suggests, “Honest?” Katelyn jumps in, “Rawnest.”
Bad Waitress’ debut full-length album, No Taste, finds strength in mood swings, from upbeat “groovin’ down the street” songs like “Strawberry Milkshake” to “I’m gonna fucking punch everyone” songs like “Lacerate,” as Nicole puts it. “It’s good to listen to when you’re walking alone at night. I get really anxious, but I feel powerful when I listen to this album, like I’m fucking untouchable. It’s basically a self-defense album.”. No Taste is out on September 3rd through Royal Mountain Records. You can pre-order it here.