By Taylor McKee
Sorry manages to have earworm catchiness and grit on the same album, sometimes all in one song. Scuzzy bass riffs, distorted vocals and standard rock composition all mesh in a powerful and impressive release from this unique Calgary band. To call the tracks on Mazes simply low-fi doesn’t do them justice, as that label is too broad for this particular set of songs. This is not just another band with dictaphone calibre recordings and vocal lines soaked with reverb.
Particularly evident on the exceedingly catchy “Crowded Courts,” Sorry strive to punch you in the face while sticking in your head. Characteristic bass crunch and needling guitar lines punctuate the verse before a towering, distorted and wonderfully messy chorus. Similarly, on the repulsively titled yet musically endearing “Cum Gum,” the chorus loses just enough control to stick out while still having fun.
Four of the nine tracks were recorded with Alberta low-fi guru Paul Lawton at Mammoth Cave Studios, the Lethbridge studio and recording company that has spawned releases from Alberta bands such as Myelin Sheaths, The Moby Dicks and The Famines. If Mazes is any indication, Sorry are clearly succeeding while surrounding themselves with like-minded individuals.
The overdrive bass tones will remind listeners of the Wet Secrets, Little Girls or Panthers, and the high-end chord progressions are punchy without being trite. The vocals are all over the map in an engaging way — each song is a new style, a new effect and a new tone, always half a step away from manic.
Most importantly, the tracks on Mazes make you want to see Sorry in person. It is hard to listen to any of the tracks without picturing them being played at ear-splitting volume with a sweaty mess of people around you. Of course, this is meant in the best possible way.