DO WHAT SETS YOUR HEART FREE

By Tobias Rochman

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Black Jacks is a small Montreal scuzz bar attached to a St. Henri strip club with a blown sound system, terrible draft beer, and a reputation for sometimes getting a little stabby. I was playing records there a few months ago and at one point, in cinematic fashion, the lights dimmed around every person but one: a drugged out, drooling cross-eyed redhead with a test pressing in his hands. He was one of the head honchos for Montreal’s Psychic Handshake Records and the record was Dead Wife’s new “D.W.S.Y.H.F/TXT ME/ GENTLEMEN RAPIST” 7”. He whipped the record at me like a Frisbee, which I failed to catch, but I picked it up and put it onto the turntable and it was a hit. I was requested to play it by three separate people that night. Or at least one guy with two very good disguises. Now a few months later, it’s finally been released.

Dead Wife are three Italian women and a gay native guy that dress like cartoon teenagers and play wild no-wave-y punk about teenager things. I just got a real copy of their record and it comes with this crazy fold-out poster that looks like those old Reagan Youth records but more TMZ-themed instead of KKK. It's also got a bunch of fake newspapers with headlines like, “Teen wanted to make friends--but lacked social skills” instead of some goofy political business. Anyway, as far as Montreal punk singles go, this might already be a classic.

"D.W.S.Y.H.F"
[audio:http://www.viceland.com/blogs/en/files/2010/04/dead-wife-dwsyhf.mp3]

out now on Psychic Handshake / No Vacation PHOTO BY ALANA RUTH
By Tobias Rochman 2 years ago

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