THE PENSKE FILE – “CYANIDE STORIES”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE MUSIC PREMIERE
The Penske File have announced their latest long-player Half Glow on Stomp Records (July 21st) with their second advance single “Cyanide Stories.” The band carries on with their tradition for belting out undeniably catchy tunes with big hooks and anthemic refrains with this new single. Reflecting on the songwriting process for their latest release, drummer/vocalist Alexander Standen explained, “‘Cyanide Stories’ was the first song we jammed and probably the oldest song written off of Half Glow. I remember it coming together pretty quickly and naturally. It was written at the end of a breakup as a letter of forgiveness for both parties in said failed relationship. Some of the lines in this song I’ve had in my phone for as long as I can remember. The intro to this track always gets me fired up.” Once again, The Penske File delivers an earworm with poignant lyrics and sing-along choruses. With over 25 thousand views in one week on their latest video “Chorus Girl”, it would seem their formula is working.
The Penske File dig into the interstitial dichotomies that mirror our world on their latest offering; it is equal parts light and dark, joy and sadness, color and shade, party and hangover. Half Glow is an album that guitarist and vocalist Travis Miles describes as an “exploration of love, loss and coming of age in a world that often feels like it is crumbling to bits around you.” The album was recorded at Drive Studios in Toronto and is a culmination of over half a lifetime of musical collaboration between James Hall, Travis Miles and Alexander Standen, the childhood friends that make up the band. Just like the dualistic reality it portrays, the album’s creation wasn’t without its own hardships: robberies, burn outs, pandemics and many things stood in the way of its completion. Sometimes though, love wins out and it shows on the anthemic introspection expelled on each of the 12 tracks on Half Glow. It’s reminiscent of bands such as The Gaslight Anthem, PUP, Against Me!, The Menzingers, and Hot Water Music.
The Penske File do it for the love of the damn thing. Friendship, rock ‘n’ roll, creativity, movement, catharsis. They pull the highs from the lows and scream into the expanse because it is what feels right. Their live shows are celebrations: celebrations of everything loud, spontaneous and beautiful about life. The Penske File spent the better part of the decade leading into the album’s release on tour, playing festival stages and D.I.Y spaces alike from Vancouver to Hamburg to Gainesville and everywhere in between. They have been hand selected to perform with many of punk rock’s greatest acts, and shared bills with the likes of Bad Religion, The Menzingers, Anti- Flag and The Hold Steady, to name a few. In many ways, since their last release, Salvation, the band has grown up; still, in many ways, they never will. One thing is for certain though, The Penske File are back with an impressive new album, new eyes, a thirst for celebration, and frankly, they have never sounded better.
The Penske File
Half Glow
(Stomp Records)
Release Date: July 21, 2023
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