THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Penske File dig into the interstitial dichotomies that mirror our world on their new album Half Glow; 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, 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.
“We went through a lot of hardships during the time of these songs’ creation, working too hard at squeezing out a living as a small band on the road,” Miles says. “When COVID ripped off the wheels it became increasingly clear that it was a welcome pause. We took time to chill, reflect, and just do things together as friends and not bandmates. We never lost sight of the dream, but the shape of our dream changed. Eventually, with new eyes on our creations we got back into the studio and finished off the tracks. In many ways Half Glow is an album about growing up, and we did a lot of that from the time of its inception to 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 DIY spaces alike from Vancouver to Hamburg to Gainesville and everywhere 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 and The Hold Steady, to name a few.
In many ways, since their last release Salvation, the band have 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.”
