Hot Garbage

Hot Garbage is a band from Toronto whose music meshes a grimier version of post-punk with a bit of shoegaze, especially in the way they handle the guitar. There are some krautrock influences in the riffs and the melodies (more on the Neu side), some darkwave/goth tones, and perhaps even darker shades of glam (say, Iggy Pop). The result is music that is trippy in that it evokes a dream-like state in a heavy headspace, but it is not quite as swirly, airy, and transportive as traditional psychedelic tends to be. The songwriting and the execution are both excellent. The rhythm section is steady and firm, especially with the bassist Juliana Carlevaris creating the pounding pulse while her brother Alessandro adds all the fuzzed up guitar relish the songs need.