Skip to content
"After four self-released cassettes, Montréal's premier art-punk/neo-proto-punk band Protruders makes its vinyl debut with a 25-minute 12-inch of very groovy sounds. The sound is a bit clearer and maybe a little beefier—some of the noise gives way to a more relaxed and expansive approach. The psych quotient is higher. But the heart of the band is still beating for the sort of raw open-minded non-generic punk that once came from the likes of Rocket From The Tombs, Swell Maps, Dead Moon, Dancing Cigarettes, etc. “Fruit Hang” has a perfect mid-70s style garage feel—like a Boston pre-punk band tearin’ it up at the Rat! This could be the hit, kidz! Skronky sax gives “Hydrophytol” a kinda Hawkwind/no-wave feel. And dig “No Stone”—a slower one, catchy as hell—I swear it could pass for an outtake from the Saints circa 1978. Solid—another hit! At five minutes, the title track stretches things out a bit. This one has a definite Ubu/Voidoids vibe—nasty angular spazz-punk with a little more sax blat added. Very nice guitar stuff happening here. We get some weirdo HC action on “Stabilizer” and more hot guitar squiggles. “Tax 101” is maybe a “typical” Protruders song—that means good! “Wrong Way Sign,” pushes things over the six-minute mark, with a strong psych-punk feel (Wipers?) and some totally swell rock-jam stuff at the end. Wow. This record is a significant step for the band and an impressive way to start their vinyl career as they gain the higher visibility they deserve. Most excellent!" -Eddie Flowers (Vulcher Magazine/The Gizmos)
Our take: Debut vinyl from this Montreal band on the always-reliable Feel It Records. The Protruders’ music, to me at least, sounds like the members have spent a lot of time with the music of the 1970s, whether you’re talking about the primitive art-punk of Electric Eels and Pere Ubu, the psychedelic explorations of Amon Düül II or Hawkwind, or the driving proto-punk of Rocket from the Tomb or the Saints. (Note I’ve stolen most of these references from the label’s description, which is spot-on). I love that they can write a song like “Fruit Hang,” which could have been the a-side to a great 70s punk single on a label like Raw or Chiswick, but they’re so much more than just a pop band. The dense, intertwining chords of the title track are about as Pere Ubu-esque as I’ve heard a band from the 2010s get, and the lazy groove and dense chords on “No Stone” are great too. I don’t love the heavy distortion on the vocals (even if it makes them sound even more like the Electric Eels than they would have otherwise), but that’s a minor quibble. If you're modern punker with a soft spot for the more out-there sounds of the 70s check this out.