Kyle Loewen : “The worst part about being a Winnipeg band is that we have to be compared to Royal Canoe. “ – Stylus Interview January 2014.
Well, first off likeRoyal Canoe, Surprise Party are from Winnipeg. And obviously the members of Surprise Party are not the members of Royal Canoe. But, Royal Canoe, Royal Canoe, ROYAL CANOE. I just had to make that comparison. But comparisons are an apples and oranges thing, or maybe Surprise Party is more like hamburgers (all beef, sometimes vegan). They could easily fit on the Burger Records roster. The label they have joined is Shake! Records, which put out this record as a cassette. If you’re a vinyl snob, as of July you can get it that way as well.
Surprise Party is formed by well practiced members of bands past and present:The Hoots, Summer of Legs, and Mahogany Frog. The influences of these projects (pop, garage and psych, in different combinations each time) make for some really interesting tuneage, and Heart of Love proves very catchy. It starts to play in my head at any given moment. I’ll assume this is a good thing.
The album is never so monotonous to be cookie cutter boring, but not so disjointed to be mood destroying. It is summer after all and this came out at just the right time. On “It’s Okay,” perhaps you notice the coughing in the background on this cut, is it a happy accident or intentional? Whatever it may be, it punctuates the carefree vibe. It’s just pure fun.
P.S. If you’re a Baroque music/Metallica purist, this album is probably not for you. (Shake! Records, surpriseparty420.bandcamp.com) David Tymoshchuk