Image: Austin RobertsThe Maximum Rock and Roll demo review section can be up and down but when the punk magazine described the first song on Moon Hag’s demo as sounding like “a Pink Floyd out take crashing headfirst into spastic, snarling, psychedelic hardcore”, my interest in the London, Ontario band was wound.The band have followed up that demo with a new EP called Terrify that is both blunt and experimental. These psychedelic headbangers, who have been friends since high school, play a mystical style of punk that sits close to that early MRR review. It's music that I imagine feral forest children would listen to while slaying illegal unicorn poachers with bow and arrows and daggers. Or something.Listen to the tracks below and read a quick chat we had with the band’s Julia and Davita.Noisey: The new EP is called Terrify. What terrifies you?
Julia: I have stage fright so every show we play is terrifying.
Davita: MRA's, worms and driving through thunderstorms.There is some Sabbath vibe going on but I hear some Dead Moon influence in some of the tracks too.
Julia: Dead Moon doesn’t influence our songs but I always want our recordings to have the same raw fuzzed out rock nostalgia that they have. Fred and Toody’s entire career inspires me to keep it DIY and dirty!Davita: Sabbath was one of my favourite bands growing up. Probably the scariest stuff you could hear on the radio, and plus Little Nicky had both Sabbath in the soundtrack AND Ozzy appearing at the end of the movie! But when I started playing drums in highscool, I was only listening to X, Screeching Weasel, and The Wipers. And playing in a Germs rip-off band. I still have a hard time playing the drums slow, so I find it kind of funny that our music turns out the way it does."Hag Time" is one letter away from 'Hang Time'. What do you guys get up to when you are not jamming/playing music?
Julia: I spend a lot of time alone watching YouTube and drawing. I like to skateboard in empty rinks and watch my friends play in their cool bands). I am constantly quitting jobs and living unemployed for as long as possible.
Davita: Serving coffee to old ladies. When not playing in bands (I'm also in Political Seance and Never Betters) I host the punk web show Collateral Jamage TV. It's super fun and so much work and a huge learning experience. Julia and I live in different cities right now, but when I go to visit/jam with her in Toronto, we pretty much just drink coffee, skateboard, and go to shows. And eat Pad Thai.Davita as someone from London, Ontario, I'm interested in your reaction to this piece.
Davita: I just hope that every white person who reads the article takes the opportunity to assess their own behavior and beliefs with regard to race. Sometimes people defend our obviously white-supremacist country because they can't handle feeling the guilt that comes with acknowledging their privilege. Like, seriously- your grandparents moved from Europe and never had anything to do with slave owning or the KKK? That's great. But guess what? Our skin colour guarantees us an easier time accessing education, or finding a job, than someone who is black, or First Nations, and also keeps you pretty safe from random acts of police violence. Anyway. The article was powerful and sickening and sad and I was very happy to see it go viral.How was your Californian tour?
Julia: The best show was a last minute stop at Medford at the only bar we played. The band opening was a crew of 40+ year old dudes playing Misfits covers. A guy in a Cradle of Filth shirt told me we sounded like Venom. We made $10.
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Julia: I have stage fright so every show we play is terrifying.
Davita: MRA's, worms and driving through thunderstorms.There is some Sabbath vibe going on but I hear some Dead Moon influence in some of the tracks too.
Julia: Dead Moon doesn’t influence our songs but I always want our recordings to have the same raw fuzzed out rock nostalgia that they have. Fred and Toody’s entire career inspires me to keep it DIY and dirty!Davita: Sabbath was one of my favourite bands growing up. Probably the scariest stuff you could hear on the radio, and plus Little Nicky had both Sabbath in the soundtrack AND Ozzy appearing at the end of the movie! But when I started playing drums in highscool, I was only listening to X, Screeching Weasel, and The Wipers. And playing in a Germs rip-off band. I still have a hard time playing the drums slow, so I find it kind of funny that our music turns out the way it does."Hag Time" is one letter away from 'Hang Time'. What do you guys get up to when you are not jamming/playing music?
Julia: I spend a lot of time alone watching YouTube and drawing. I like to skateboard in empty rinks and watch my friends play in their cool bands). I am constantly quitting jobs and living unemployed for as long as possible.
Davita: Serving coffee to old ladies. When not playing in bands (I'm also in Political Seance and Never Betters) I host the punk web show Collateral Jamage TV. It's super fun and so much work and a huge learning experience. Julia and I live in different cities right now, but when I go to visit/jam with her in Toronto, we pretty much just drink coffee, skateboard, and go to shows. And eat Pad Thai.Davita as someone from London, Ontario, I'm interested in your reaction to this piece.
Davita: I just hope that every white person who reads the article takes the opportunity to assess their own behavior and beliefs with regard to race. Sometimes people defend our obviously white-supremacist country because they can't handle feeling the guilt that comes with acknowledging their privilege. Like, seriously- your grandparents moved from Europe and never had anything to do with slave owning or the KKK? That's great. But guess what? Our skin colour guarantees us an easier time accessing education, or finding a job, than someone who is black, or First Nations, and also keeps you pretty safe from random acts of police violence. Anyway. The article was powerful and sickening and sad and I was very happy to see it go viral.How was your Californian tour?
Julia: The best show was a last minute stop at Medford at the only bar we played. The band opening was a crew of 40+ year old dudes playing Misfits covers. A guy in a Cradle of Filth shirt told me we sounded like Venom. We made $10.
‘Terrify’ is available now from the band.