White Collar Grunge will make you surrender to their new single and video Capitulation — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
An ’80s-soaked new-wave venture with a modern twist, Capitulation comes from White Collar Grunge’s self-titled debut release — a lifelong dream for Oshawa’s Cory Williams, who began tickling the ivories as a child. Having birthed the 10 tracks that made the final cut of the album, Williams is revelling in seeing his dream come true.
“I’m more excited to work on music than I’ve ever been because I don’t take it for granted and I’m making music that I love without compromise,” he explains. “I thought it would be best to make this record with no expectations. I used to feel like music owed me something but eventually came to realize that the only reason to make music is because you love it.”
The album is a collection of songs that tackle a variety of experiences, nuances, and moments in time — all set to a soundtrack of an entirely innovative sub-genre of rock. The rushing synth, bleeding percussion, and whimsical melodies are perched on the branch of The Smiths, foretold by The Human League, and juxtaposed with elements of the early ’90s.
“I was playing the demo for Synthesis when I was hanging out with my cousin and he said: ‘This is white-collar grunge!’ as if it were a sub-genre I hadn’t heard of before,” Williams reveals. “At the time I had thought it might be a good name for my project and after writing Capitulation, I became sold on it.”
Williams was then tasked with actually forming White Collar Grunge; a group that not only could bring the music to life, but also be prepared to bring his vision live on the stage when the world is ready. “Having Max Trefler play drums on the record with Adam Fair engineering at Villa Sound was an idea I think I had subconsciously for a while,” Williams says. “Max is a great drummer and really locked into what was going on. Adam set up a really nice vocal chain for me and we layered on the vocals. We got the drums and vocals down for the whole record in three days, which was pretty intense. I think Adam did a killer job mixing the record and Noah Mintz’s mastering definitely enhanced it.”
Watch Capitulation above, listen to White Collar Grunge below, and capitulate to the band at their website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
