In 2011, Single Mothers frontman Drew Thomson quit his band. Then 25, the Canadian moved from the college town of London, Ontario to a place called Swastika to pursue a career in gold prospecting. His fellow miners often smoked crack at work. Eventually, he returned to reignite Single Mothers and record a debut brimming with bile: students (‘Marbles’), drugs (‘Ketamine’) and human nature (‘Feel Shame’) are attacked while a torrent of hardcore guitars and drums connects with seismic force. It’s a lesson in the power of punk, as the 52-second ‘Womb’ emphasises: “Rock’n’roll is a sacrifice/So I let you take my body and I threw away my life”.
Ben Homewood