THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sad Clown, No Frills’ second full-length album, builds on the themes of the Toronto band’s 2022 debut LP Downward Dog — a release that reached No. 28 on campus radio and took the band to Pop Montreal and Sled Island. The 12-song LP continues Daniel Busheikin’s exploration of life’s absurdities, blending ramshackle Beatles / Zombies / Monkees-inspired melodies with sparse orchestral arrangements. Known for weaving sardonic punchlines into sunny hooks, Busheikin strips his songs down to their essentials while reflecting on deeper themes — but with a playful twist.
“These songs might be intensely fixated on death, depression, and self-loathing, but they’re also really silly,” explains Busheikin. “Coming out of the Downward Dog album cycle, the dissonance I experienced between performing as an entertainer and writing songs about depression led me to the concept of the ‘sad clown paradox,’ which I find very relatable.”
The band — founded out by bassist Maddy Wilde, guitarist Matt Buckberrough and drummer Jonathan Pappo — recorded the loose, jammy performances of Sad Clown with engineers Chris Shannon and Nate Vanderwielen (members of cult art-rock band BART) at Toronto’s 500 Keele. Vocals, additional guitars and synth were recorded by Busheikin in his basement, crafting a warm and intimate soundscape. For the first time, Busheikin wrote string quartet arrangements, and intivited collaborations from Toronto musicians, including Eliza Niemi (cello), Alex Hamlyn (saxophone), and Kristina Koski (flute).
Sad Clown was introduced by the first preview single and video Shopping In The Toothpaste Aisle. “If you’ve ever had a panic attack in Shoppers Drug Mart, this one’s for you,” Busheikin says. The song captures the surreal experience of navigating daily life while dangerous thoughts loom. “You’re maybe 90-95% sure you’re OK, but there’s still that sense of an impending breakdown, and of course, the store is out of Colgate Total Advance MaxFresh,” he jokes. The mellow indie-pop strummer, elevated by the airy backing vocals of Maddy Wilde (Born Ruffians, Spiral Beach), tackles heavy subjects with levity — much like the rest of the album.”
