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Music

Julie & The Wrong Guys Get Right And Heavy on "Love and Leaving"

The East Coast icon joins forces with a few Canadian punk and hardcore musicians to create gritty, gnarling rock 'n' roll.
Photo by Scott Wade

Julie Doiron is an East Coast musical legacy. Doiron started out in the 90s band Eric's Trip, which was the first Canadian band to get signed to Sub Pop Records. She is also one of the founding members of Sappyfest, a music festival in Sackville, New Brunswick that is dedicated to showcasing local, national, and international music acts who fly under mainstream music's radar. In her latest musical iteration as Julie & The Wrong Guys, Doiron tackles some introspective subject matter set against the most visceral sounds with The Wrongs Guys, another group comprised of members of Ontario hardcore band Cancer Bats, and Edmonton punk singer Eamon McGrath.

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The group's latest song, "Love and Leaving," from their self-titled LP to be released via Dine Alone Records on Sept. 8, harkens back to a mid-90s kind of rock 'n' roll that is pure and affecting; a steady guitar anchors throughout Doiron's tender vocals until it rips during the chorus. "Love and Leaving's" subject matter—of love and potential loss—feels more wholly fleshed out against deft percussions and gritty guitar riffs as they, too, contribute to and intensify the feeling of making a choice. It has angst, though it is not angsty.

"'Love and Leaving ' is about admitting out loud that you are ready to actually learn and you are actually ready to love but maybe you still recognize that you might be a little bit afraid to actually do it," Julie Doiron told Noisey via email. "We wrote it at (drummer) Mike [Peter]'s cabin in Manitoba, which was a great experience. I love everything about playing with the Wrong Guys! I feel strong and supported in this group with the freedom to play as loud or heavy as I want. It's super fun for me, and these guys always have my back. It's the best!"

Listen to the track below:

Sarah MacDonald is an Assistant Editor at Noisey Canada. Follow her on Twitter.