This Anxious Pleasers EP. Wow. I just can’t seem to stop playing it. Anxious Pleasers are a threepiece from Hamilton, Ontario. It’s the brainchild of guitarist/singer TJ Charlton of the TV Freaks (such a cool band), with Nathan Burger on drums (also of TV Freaks, and Flesh Rag) and Matt Ellis on bass (of Flesh Rag, Plasticheads, The Vapids, and his recent solo project you should definitely check out). The line-up sets a high bar in terms of expectations, but Anxious Pleaser effortlessly surpass those. My fingers automatically turn the volume up to 11 on songs like What Do You Care About and DUH! This is an exhilarating and insanely catchy punk record. “We wrote and recorded the songs right before covid hit. We played a few shows and everything got put on ice but we decided to release it. It was recorded by the band in our old rehearsal space and mastered by Kenneth Roy Meehan,” Matt Ellis explains. It’s currently digital only, with all proceeds donated to Hamilton Encampment Support Network. A very limited cassette release is available for pre-order, but I am confident punk labels are lining up to do a vinyl release as well. The future of the band is less certain, given the members’ other responsibilities and one band member moving west to Vancouver.
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