Cold Fame hit you right between the eyes with their sweet ’n’ hard new single Jawbreaker — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
There’s a moment in every great rock song where recklessness meets precision — a tension between control and abandon. Cold Fame’s Jawbreaker captures that electrifying push and pull, threading alt-rock grit with cinematic intensity. The B.C. duo of Jodi Pederson and Damian Anthony are crafting soundtracks for the beautifully unhinged moments in life.
Jawbreaker is a full-throttle collision between desire, danger, and defiance. “He’s not my usual type / In fact, he’s pretty far from it,” Pederson sings, her voice cutting through the track’s pulsing beat like neon against a midnight skyline. But this isn’t a story about caution. This is about temptation and the thrill of throwing yourself into something you know might ruin you. “Like a sugar rush in my head / Candy rush on my tongue / I could taste you all night long” — it’s a fever dream set to a stadium-sized chorus, dripping with the kind of reckless energy that feels like a car racing toward the edge of a cliff.
Produced by Kevin Maher (Carly Rae Jepsen, Fake Shark) and Mike Noble (Hotel Mira), Jawbreaker explodes with high-octane guitar work, thunderous drums, and a sneaky, serpentine saxophone solo from co-writer Grant Zubritsky (Dua Lipa, Tegan & Sara). The track is the first single from Cold Fame’s upcoming EP Love, Lust & Violence, a project that promises to dive headfirst into the themes that have always fueled rock’s most dangerous and exhilarating moments.
Pederson describes the song as a personal rebellion, a moment of surrender to the part of herself she’s spent years suppressing. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve chased this idea of being the ‘perfect girl,’” she says. “That led me to suppress so much of my wild, authentic nature. Jawbreaker is my release from that.” That tension — between self-restraint and unapologetic indulgence — drives the track forward with an urgency that never lets up.
The song came together in a blur of inspiration. Damian Anthony, a producer and multi-instrumentalist, laid down the first sparks of Jawbreaker while stuck on a ferry between Vancouver Island and the mainland. “I had an hour and a half, a laptop, and a need to get something out,” he says. “By the time I made it to the studio, the foundation was there, and we just ran with it.” That raw, kinetic energy is felt in every second of the track, an anthem for anyone who’s ever craved a little chaos in their life.
Cold Fame are no stranger to turning heads in the alt-pop/rock world. Their breakout hit Hello Reaper held strong on Canadian alternative radio for nine weeks, peaking at No. 29, while their 2024 debut album Red Room saw them playing sold-out shows and earning festival spots alongside acts like Gwen Stefani, Fleet Foxes and The Blue Stones. They’ve built a reputation for their ferocious live energy, seamlessly blending rock and pop’s edge with the emotional punch of cinematic pop.
With Jawbreaker, Cold Fame cement their place as one of Canada’s most compelling alt-pop/rock acts, setting the stage for Love, Lust & Violence, arriving later in 2025. As they continue their sonic evolution, one thing is clear: this band isn’t just here to play along — they’re here to take over.
Check out Jawbreaker above, hear more from Cold Fame below, and get sweet on their website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
