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Edited by Anselm Anderson
Vancouver’s power trio, The Slip-Ons released their sophomore EP Overtime, released last week via Scamindy Records. The seven-track EP is 90’s alternative rock mixed with power pop and draws influences from records by Bob Mould, Hüsker Dü, and The Replacements, with flashes of Ash and Dinosaur Jr. in the guitar tones. Fronted by Brock Pytel of Montreal pop-punk staples Doughboys and longtime bassist for Sarah McLachlan, Brian Minato. The Vancouver four-piece is completed by Rob “Shockk” Matharu of The Spitfires on guitar and Shane Wilson on drums.
Overtime takes its name from the sudden-death hockey period, used as an extended metaphor for pressure and consequence. The EP leans heavier and more focused than the band’s debut, pairing Pytel’s gravel-edged vocals with punchy, direct arrangements. The lyrics widen their scope, too. Politics surface naturally, filtered through experience rather than slogans. As Pytel puts it, “I made it all the way through side A without a single song about a breakup.”
The EP was recorded by John Raham at Afterlife, formerly Mushroom Studios, a room steeped in Canadian music history. Raham’s Curriculum Vitae includes work with Frazey Ford, Dan Mangan, Tanya Tagaq, Destroyer, and Pharis, and his approach here keeps the performances immediate while giving the songs room to move. Mixing duties were handled by Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy, whose touch adds grit and tension. Overtime was mastered by Ronan Chris Murphy, whose work includes artists such as King Crimson, Ulver, and Gwar, bringing clarity and punch while preserving the EP’s raw, guitar-forward bite.
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The roots of SLIP~ons date back decades. Pytel first emerged in the late 1980s as the singing drummer of Montreal pop-punks Doughboys, releasing two acclaimed LPs and touring North America alongside bands like Descendents and ALL. At the height of that momentum, he stepped away entirely, travelling to Igatpuri, India, to practice Vipassana meditation and study Pāli. “I had a habit of going to extremes,” Pytel recalls. “At the time, it never occurred to me that I could deepen my practice of meditation and play in a touring punk rock band. It was just, ‘I’m going to shave my head and become a monk.’” SLIP~ons later took shape when Pytel and Minato began collaborating in 2012, eventually solidifying into a four-piece with the addition of Matharu and Wilson.
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Those long road shows SLIP~ons formed as a straightforward rock and roll project built around chemistry and feel. The band’s previous EP, Heavy Machinery, generated more than sixty international press hits, premieres with Scene Point Blank and New Noise Magazine, and widespread support across college, indie, and mainstream radio. The release saw airplay across CBC, SiriusXM, and major Canadian commercial stations, alongside coverage from Exclaim!, Spill Magazine, Global News, The Big Takeover, and dozens of international tastemakers. Overtime builds directly on that foundation, pushing harder, sounding sharper, and proving the band isn’t slowing down any time soon.
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