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Tough Age

Fusing elements of surf, garage rock, punk, and a dash of indie pop, Vancouver's Tough Age describe their music as "culmination rock," with four veterans of the Canadian underground rock scene pooling their ideas, influences, and experience for the project. The tough, wiry core of their lean and energetic sound cohered on 2015's I Get the Feeling Central, while they gained an even tighter focus on 2017's taut, guitar-fueled Shame and veered more toward college rock jangle on efforts like 2023's Waiting Here. Tough Age were formed in 2012 by vocalist and songwriter Jarrett K. (aka Jarrett Samson), who'd previously worked with the bands Apollo Ghosts and Role Mach. When his surf-influenced group Korean Gut abruptly broke up, Jarrett recruited drummer Chris Martell, who had been a member of Sightlines and Collapsing Opposites as well as working with Jarrett before, to start a new group. With Penny "Agamemnon" Clark on guitar and backing vocals and Lauren Smith on bass, Tough Age were born, and their tough but hooky sound and Jarrett's nervy but thoughtful lyrics quickly earned them a reputation on the Canadian underground scene. The respected indie label Mint Records signed the band, whose self-titled debut album, produced by Jay Arner, was released in November 2013. In April 2015, Tough Age unveiled a special release for Record Store Day, in which they covered all six songs from Hot Dog Day, a 1993 EP from Canadian indie pop band Cub. In 2015 Tough Age also booked time at Little Red Sounds Studio in Vancouver where, with the help of producer Felix Fung, they recorded their second album, I Get the Feeling Central, released by Mint on June 23, 2015. Over the next two years, Tough Age underwent a transformation as Samson and Clark relocated across the country to Toronto and re-formed as a trio with drummer Jesse Locke. Focusing on Flying Nun-inspired indie pop, this lineup recorded the band's third LP, Shame, which Mint released in October 2017. 2020's Which Way Am I? reflected the indie-pop leanings of Shame, though with a harder and more physical attack; Claire Paquet of Towanda contributed guitar and flute to the sessions. At some point after Which Way Am I?, Tough Age moved back to their original home of Vancouver and began work on their next album. Now a decade into their existence, Tough Age moved even further away from the bristly punk sound of their earlier work, embracing the jangly guitars and anhedonic melodies of foundational indie rock figures like the Feelies, Yo La Tengo, and Guided by Voices. These bright and sentimental influences were at the forefront of their fifth album Waiting Here, which was released in June of 2023.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
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Discography

15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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