Step right up: Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival put your Punk Rock Heart on display in their new single and video — showcasing today on TInnitist.
The latest preview of the Toronto/L.A. garage-pop pioneers’ forthcoming album Meet the Monster, “the song was born a couple of years ago while working on a song’s chorus about my mean-eyed cat,” lead singer Douglas Von Irvin divulges. “Later, while on vacation in Las Vegas, my mother surprised me by throwing me into a songwriting class hosted by Gene Simmons. So I came home and fooled around with the song — still writing about my cat’s feral, bouncy heart.”
Fast-forward to late 2019, when he shared the song with mysterious songwriting partner / ‘spiritual advisor’ Dr. Prycenstein (Dave Pryce) and producer Matt Starr. “The two of them decided the song needed to grow up a little, and I could stop singing about my cat. From there, the three of us collaborated on lyrics about a feral, cat-like girl, and picked up the arrangement’s tempo. With the stripped-down arrangement of ratty guitars, drums, bass, and most of all, Dr. Prycenstein’s lyric lines of ‘Joan Jett grace’ and ‘We’ll show ‘em all and start a band,’ we all agreed the song needed to be called Punk Rock Heart.”
That artful invitation into escapism has landed Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival on a spotlit podium all their own. Where the band describe their oft-spooky, theatrical power-pop sound as the love child of Roy Orbison and The Cramps, their ultimate mission is to whisk audiences on an adventurous, immersive mixed-media experience. “We want to give people a chance to take a break from the harsh realities of the world, all while staying in tune with our feelings and minds,” Von Irvin explains. “We offer a place where all walks of life are celebrated and welcome to hang around in our carnival.”
Punk Rock Heart arrives on the heels of previous release Ultra Man, Cave Man Rock, Vampire Lovers and Monster Pool Party. The singles — and their upcoming EP — were produced by Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big), who also played drums, co-wrote, and arranged the release; Smiley Sean from Mötley Crüe/Tommy Lee’s studio The Atrium mixed the songs. Meet The Monsters arrives May 25.
Watch Punk Rock Heart above, hear more from Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival below, and keep up with them on their website, Facebook and Instagram.
