Toronto based acclaimed indie-rock band Fast Romantics have announced their new LP Pick It Up due out August 7 on Postwar Records. Featuring production and mixing by Marcus Paquin(Arcade Fire, The National, Timber Timbre), the collection of eight clever, deeply honest songs showcase frontman Matthew Angus’ finely-honed songwriting abilities. Album title track “Pick It Up” and it’s accompanying quarantine-friendly video debuted via Exclaim!, is inspired by Angus’ lifelong battle with depression and anxiety. It is a spirit-lifting rock ’n’ roll ballad that acted as a personal pep talk for the singer as he overcame months of crippling depression. Continuing to explore the dualities we face as humans and the complexity of our emotions, “Only People”grapples with the sentiment – is it better to have loved and lost than never to have love? It’s about making that choice to move beyond the innocence of a simple life and take every chance you can to feel every euphoric feeling possible.
Hailed as a Google Play ‘Artist to Watch’ in 2017, Fast Romantics is comprised of Matthew Angus (vocals, guitar), Jeffrey Lewis (bass), Kirty (vocals, acoustic guitar, synth), Kevin Black (guitars), Lisa Lorenz (keyboards) and Nick McKinlay (drums). The band’s SOCAN award-winning single “Julia” was hailed by NPR as “triumphant” and CBC’s q described their LP American Love as “a revelation of a record.” The band found top 20 commercial radio success in Canada with Why We Fight, and earned multiple #1 songs on CBC music’s national chart, won “Best Pop Group” at the Sirius XM Indies, and was short-listed for Reeperbahn Festival’s Anchor Award in Germany, as well as the Prism Prize in Canada.
Photo by Jen Squires
