Released on the final day of 2025, Extra Strength feels like a record built on new beginnings. The new album by Only God Forgives, a Toronto collective led by Shelby Wilson and Stephen Pitman, is packed with spontaneous, quirky, dynamic indie punk and alt-pop.
It’s scrappy and lo-fi, and while nothing here feels overthought, the record overflows with strong, often contrasting ideas. Opener Bug Bites pairs a mean edge with a childlike na-na-na chant delivered in a perfectly disaffected tone. Car Song blends twinkly semi-acoustic guitars with communal vocals, laid-back but still quietly driving. Elsewhere, Extra Strength moves easily between jangle garage pop (Growing a Garden, a song that fans of Holiday Ghost will appreciate), slacker indie rock (Ontario Place, Gun Song), hardcore punk (Transgressive Media), straight-up punk rock (Dupont Daisies), and even a touch of cowpunk (Band Pics). It’s a rich, generous record that reveals more of itself with each repeat listen.
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