Following their raw and textured demo released in January 2025, Canary Bones return with a new single and video titled “Tortfeasor,” marking the next chapter in the Naarm (Melbourne)-based sextet’s trajectory. Known for their blend of noise rock, post-hardcore, and grunge, the band continues to balance sonic abrasion with emotional vulnerability.
“Tortfeasor” is one of the first songs the group ever wrote, but it wasn’t ready in time for the demo sessions at Goatsound with Jason Fuller.
As vocalist Dave explains, “We didn’t record it for the demo as it’s complex and hard to play, and we wanted to focus on it separately to ensure we got the playing and production right.” Instead, they revisited the track in March 2025, recording it with Max Ducker at Cellar Sessions Studios in what Dave described as “super relaxed” conditions. Mixing and mastering took place remotely with Marvin Menz at Tide Studios.
The result is a dense and layered composition that stays rooted in the band’s signature sound—gritty, angular guitars, dynamic rhythm shifts, and weighty lyrics—while offering a more deliberate and polished execution than their earlier material.
Lyrically, Dave describes “Tortfeasor” as being about “getting older, starting a family and reflecting upon your upbringing and its lasting impacts and influence.” The tension between reflection and unease continues to be central in Canary Bones’ writing.
The accompanying music video, directed by guitarist Tim Jacobs with assistance from Mick Kilpatrick, leans into a familiar trope with a twist. “They’ve captured the tried and tested ‘band playing in an empty warehouse’ thing perfectly,” Dave says. It’s visually straightforward, focused on performance, and effective in amplifying the song’s energy without overproducing it.
The track builds on the thematic foundations laid in their earlier demo, which touched on post-pandemic anxiety, parental burnout, and family estrangement. “Hard Year,” one of the demo’s standout moments, featured bleak but grounded lyrics: “I’m so, so tired all the time. I’m forever aching and lack any motivation to improve my situation… I comfort-eat and binge on caffeine… I’m seeking gratitude; I long for community.”
That same emotional clarity continues in “Tortfeasor,” though here it shifts from collapse toward a quieter form of reckoning.
For those in Victoria, the band will launch “Tortfeasor” live on June 28th at Nevermind Bar in Hawthorn, joined by Lily of the Valley and Waxman. A first interstate appearance is also in the works for October, with a set planned at Essence Festival in Canberra.
Formed in mid-2023, Canary Bones consists of Alex Tritt (synthesizer), Anthony Bergantino (guitar), Brenden Van Koll (bass), Dave Rowlands (vocals), Michael Barson (drums), and Tim Jacobs (guitar). Their work continues to be shaped by the diverse influences of acts like Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, Swans, Fugazi, At the Drive-In, and Deftones—though their perspective is distinctly local and their themes deeply personal.
