OUT FRIDAY: TRAITRS 'Ghost and The Storm' single

TRAITRS present 'Ghost and The Storm' single ahead of new 'Horses In The Abattoir' album.
Full LP from the post-punk duo is due on Nov. 19 via Freakwave / Schubert Music

"A stunning offering... impeccable mélange of alternative dark pop and catchy goth-laced retro-futuristic soundscapes... among the fastest rising independent artists on the dark music scene" ~ The Spill Magazine

"A classic post-punk bassline into guitars that burn like a midnight frost, or the ember of a clove cigarette... surprising cinematic influences" ~ Post-Punk.com

"An otherwise fraught, near desperate theme inside a sonic structure that manages to simultaneously uplift... exemplifies what the fuss has always been about when it came to TRAITRS" ~ Stereo Embers Magazine

"These music mavericks create dark sonic greatness, with an element of hope furtively embedded therein" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Channeling pent-up frustration and manic creative energy... a real highlight for post-punk fans" ~ Sonic Seducer

"Impeccable from start to finish... dark and introspective" ~ CanadianBeats

As we approach the end of October, Canadian dark indie duo TRAITRS gift us another dark and wonderful track in 'Ghost and The Storm', the final single to be released ahead of their much-anticipated album 'Horses In The Abattoir'.

This new offering follows earlier singles 'Mouth Poisons', 'Oh, Ballerina'and 'Magdalene'. The rising post-punk / darkwave stars have been on a steady holding pattern of releasing powerful well-received singles since signing to Freakwave Records, a Berlin-based label that is part of the Schubert Music Europe group, with distribution by The Orchard.

'Ghost and The Storm' was one of the first songs they ever recorded with producer Josh Korody (F*cked Up, Japandroids, Dilly Dally, Beliefs, Nailbiter) at Candle Recording Studio, who worked with them on this new album before being mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Linkin Park, Katy Perry).

Based in Toronto, TRAITRS was formed in 2015 by Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker. With a cinematic blend of post-punk, goth, alternative and post-rock, their emotive melodies, propulsive rhythms, angular guitars and dark cinematic electronics quickly led to the duo becoming one of the dark music scene's fastest rising independent artists.

“Ghost and the Storm’ is exactly that - a ghost of a track. A forgotten spirit from our past. It was too ahead of its time for us to even know what to do with it at the time we wrote it, so it remained in anonymity for several years. believing your entire life that when you die you’ll go somewhere better but the reality is you just return to nothing, nowhere. To sleep and never remember your dreams is equivalent to how we die," says Shawn Tucker.

Sean-Patrick Nolan elucidates, “The video pays homage to 'Rabbit In Your Headlights' by UNKLE, one of our all-time favourite songs and videos. It depicts the uneasy feeling of questioning your own sanity as it slowly slips away from you. We intentionally left it ambiguous as to who this troubled man is and what’s causing him to be so paranoid and erratic. We are our only connection to the outside world, so when the line between reality and fiction is gradually blurred and you start to feel ill at ease in our own mind and flesh, that’s a truly terrifying and isolating thing to experience. Vince Groulx did a great job of capturing that sense of foreboding paranoia while your emotions jump from one extreme to another. The human mind is more vulnerable and susceptible to these fluctuations than we realize."

Early demos, recorded with Josh Korody, led to TRAITRS' 2016 debut cassette 'Rites And Ritual' with Pleasence Records. After gaining traction in Europe and North America, TRAITRS released their critically acclaimed 'Butcher’s Coin' LP in 2018. Bolstered by lead single ‘Thin Flesh’, the duo embarked on several lengthy tours overseas, performing in over a dozen countries with showcases at Wave Gothik Treffen, Castle Party, Extramuralhas, Nocturnal Culture Night, Wavefest, Canadian Music Week and Pop! Montreal.

Their relentless touring schedule and work ethic caught the attention of Thomas Thyssen and Eric Burton of Schubert Music Publishing and, in October 2020, they announced TRAITRS as the first signing to their brand-new record label Freakwave Records.

With the preceding limited 10’’ vinyl ‘The Sick, Tired And Ill’, which practically sold-out before its actual release, TRAITRS were able to triple their Spotify monthly listeners to >33k. In addition, lead single 'Magdalene' spent 5 consecutive weeks at #1 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC).

As of October 29, 'Ghost and The Storm' will be available everywhere digitally, including Spotify and Apple Music. On November 19, the full-length 'Horses In The Abattoir' LP will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. It can be ordered at https://orcd.co/horsesintheabattoir

CREDITS
Written and performed by TRAiTRS
Shawn Tucker - Vocals, guitar, bass guitar and lyrics
Sean-Patrick Nolan - Synths, piano, sequencing and programming
Additional percussion by Josh Korody
Recorded at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto
Produced and mixed by Josh Korody and TRAITRS
Mastered by Pete Maher
Album cover design by Shawn Tucker, based on 'Anna Pavlova In The Fokine/Saint-Saëns The Dying Swan. St. Petersburg - 1905'.
Video scenario and production by TRAITRS
Video directed and edited by Shawn Tucker

Keep up with TRAITRS
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Freakwave Records
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Contact

Toronto post-punk / darkwave duo TRAITRS release beautifully caustic 'Mouth Poisons' single

"A stunning offering... impeccable mélange of alternative dark pop and catchy goth-laced retro-futuristic soundscapes... among the fastest rising independent artists on the dark music scene" ~ The Spill Magazine

"A classic post-punk bassline into guitars that burn like a midnight frost, or the ember of a clove cigarette... surprising cinematic influences" ~ Post-Punk.com

"An otherwise fraught, near desperate theme inside a sonic structure that manages, some damn how, to simultaneously uplift... exemplifies what the fuss has always been about when it came to TRAITRS" ~ Stereo Embers Magazine

"These music mavericks create dark sonic greatness, with an element of hope furtively embedded therein" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Channeling pent-up frustration and manic creative energy... a real highlight for post-punk fans" ~ Sonic Seducer

"Impeccable from start to finish... dark and introspective" ~ CanadianBeats

Canadian post-punk rising stars TRAITRS present their new single 'Mouth Poisons', foreshadowing their much-anticipated album 'Horses In The Abattoir', to be released in mid-November via Freakwave, a Berlin-based label that is part of the Schubert Music Europe group, with distribution by The Orchard. This single follows moody 'Oh, Ballerina' with its accompanying art-house horror film meets 80’s new wave music video, directed and edited by frontman Shawn Tucker.

Recorded by and produced with Josh Korody (F*cked Up, Japandroids, Dilly Dally, Beliefs, Nailbiter) at Candle Recording Studio, the new output was mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Linkin Park, Katy Perry).

Based in Toronto, TRAITRS was formed in 2015 by Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker. With a cinematic blend of post-punk, goth, alternative and post-rock, their emotive melodies, propulsive rhythms, angular guitars and dark cinematic electronics quickly led to the duo becoming one of the dark music scene's fastest rising independent artists.

“The core sketch of this song was written late at night at a very good friend’s place in Frankfurt, Germany. ‘Mouth Poisons’ is an extremely personal song and lyrically I set myself up as the main target. It carries an air of ‘come see what’s going inside of me that wants to burn down everything in sight’. Definitely my favourite single we have ever released to date," says Shawn Tucker.

“‘Mouth Poisons’ was initially supposed to be a fast, angular punk track and it remained in this form for several months until Shawn wrote the bass guitar part and completely changed the way I heard the song. His melodic bass line brought out a sadness and vulnerability in the track that I didn’t know was there. All of a sudden this frantic punk song sounded more like The Smiths or New Order, so I completely rewrote my synth part to tease out those elements even more. The break before the outro is one of my favourite parts on the album," says Sean-Patrick Nolan.

Early demos, recorded with Josh Korody, led to TRAITRS' 2016 debut cassette 'Rites And Ritual' with Pleasence Records. After gaining traction in Europe and North America, TRAITRS released their critically acclaimed 'Butcher’s Coin' LP via Pleasence Records / Manic Depression Records / Alchera Visionsin 2018. Bolstered by lead single ‘Thin Flesh’, the duo embarked on several lengthy tours overseas, performing in over a dozen countries with showcases at Wave Gothik Treffen, Castle Party, Extramuralhas, Nocturnal Culture Night, Wavefest, Canadian Music Week and Pop! Montreal.

Their relentless touring schedule and work ethic caught the attention of Thomas Thyssen and Eric Burton of Schubert Music Publishing and, in October 2020, they announced TRAITRS as the first signing to their brand-new record label Freakwave Records.

With the preceding limited 10’’ vinyl ‘The Sick, Tired And Ill’, which practically sold-out before its actual release, TRAITRS were able to triple their Spotify monthly listeners to >33k. In addition, lead single 'Magdalene' spent 5 consecutive weeks at #1 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC).

'Mouth Poisons' is out now everywhere online, including Spotify and Apple Music. On November 19, the full-length 'Horses In The Abattoir' LP will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. It can be ordered at https://orcd.co/horsesintheabattoir

CREDITS
Written and performed by TRAiTRS
Shawn Tucker - Vocals, guitar, bass guitar and lyrics
Sean-Patrick Nolan - Synths, piano, sequencing and programming
Additional percussion by Josh Korody
Recorded at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto
Produced and mixed by Josh Korody and TRAITRS
Mastered by Pete Maher
Album cover design by Shawn Tucker, based on 'Anna Pavlova In The Fokine/Saint-Saëns The Dying Swan. St. Petersburg - 1905'.
Video scenario and production by TRAITRS
Video directed and edited by Shawn Tucker


Keep up with TRAITRS
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Freakwave Records
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Contact

Toronto postpunk/darkwave duo TRAITRS release beautifully caustic 'Mouth Poisons'

"A stunning offering... impeccable mélange of alternative dark pop and catchy goth-laced retro-futuristic soundscapes... among the fastest rising independent artists on the dark music scene" ~ The Spill Magazine

"A classic post-punk bassline into guitars that burn like a midnight frost, or the ember of a clove cigarette... surprising cinematic influences" ~ Post-Punk.com

"An otherwise fraught, near desperate theme inside a sonic structure that manages, some damn how, to simultaneously uplift... exemplifies what the fuss has always been about when it came to TRAITRS" ~ Stereo Embers Magazine

"These music mavericks create dark sonic greatness, with an element of hope furtively embedded therein" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Channeling pent-up frustration and manic creative energy... a real highlight for post-punk fans" ~ Sonic Seducer

"Impeccable from start to finish... dark and introspective" ~ CanadianBeats

Canadian post-punk rising stars TRAITRS present their new single 'Mouth Poisons', the new taster of their forthcoming long-player 'Horses In The Abattoir', to be released in mid-November via Freakwave, a Berlin-based label that is part of the Schubert Music Europe group, with distribution by The Orchard. Not long ago, the duo released the single 'Oh, Ballerina'. with a short moody art-house horror film meets 80’s new wave music video, directed and edited by Shawn Tucker.

Recorded by and produced with Josh Korody (F*cked Up, Japandroids, Dilly Dally, Beliefs, Nailbiter) at Candle Recording Studio, the new output was mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Linkin Park, Katy Perry).

Based in Toronto, TRAITRS was formed in 2015 by Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker. With a cinematic blend of post-punk, goth, alternative and post-rock, their emotive melodies, propulsive rhythms, angular guitars and dark cinematic electronics quickly led to the duo becoming one of the dark music scene's fastest rising independent artists.

“The core sketch of this song was written late at night at a very good friend’s place in Frankfurt, Germany. ‘Mouth Poisons’ is an extremely personal song and lyrically I set myself up as the main target. It carries an air of ‘come see what’s going inside of me that wants to burn down everything in sight’. Definitely my favourite single we have ever released to date," says Shawn Tucker.

“‘Mouth Poisons’ was initially supposed to be a fast, angular punk track and it remained in this form for several months until Shawn wrote the bass guitar part and completely changed the way I heard the song. His melodic bass line brought out a sadness and vulnerability in the track that I didn’t know was there. All of a sudden this frantic punk song sounded more like The Smiths or New Order, so I completely rewrote my synth part to tease out those elements even more. The break before the outro is one of my favourite parts on the album," says Sean-Patrick Nolan.

Early demos, recorded with Josh Korody, led to TRAITRS' 2016 debut cassette 'Rites And Ritual' with Pleasence Records. After gaining traction in Europe and North America, TRAITRS released their critically acclaimed 'Butcher’s Coin' LP via Pleasence Records / Manic Depression Records / Alchera Visionsin 2018. Bolstered by lead single ‘Thin Flesh’, the duo embarked on several lengthy tours overseas, performing in over a dozen countries with showcases at Wave Gothik Treffen, Castle Party, Extramuralhas, Nocturnal Culture Night, Wavefest, Canadian Music Week and Pop! Montreal.

Their relentless touring schedule and work ethic caught the attention of Thomas Thyssen and Eric Burton of Schubert Music Publishing and, in October 2020, they announced TRAITRS as the first signing to their brand-new record label Freakwave Records.

With the preceding limited 10’’ vinyl ‘The Sick, Tired And Ill’, which practically sold-out before its actual release, TRAITRS were able to triple their Spotify monthly listeners to >33k. In addition, lead single 'Magdalene' spent 5 consecutive weeks at #1 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC).

As of September 17, 'Mouth Poisons' will be available digitally everywhere, including Spotify and Apple Music. On November 19, the full-length 'Horses In The Abattoir' LP will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. It can be ordered at https://orcd.co/horsesintheabattoir

CREDITS
Written and performed by TRAiTRS
Shawn Tucker - Vocals, guitar, bass guitar and lyrics
Sean-Patrick Nolan - Synths, piano, sequencing and programming
Additional percussion by Josh Korody
Recorded at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto
Produced and mixed by Josh Korody and TRAITRS
Mastered by Pete Maher
Album cover design by Shawn Tucker, based on 'Anna Pavlova In The Fokine/Saint-Saëns The Dying Swan. St. Petersburg - 1905'.
Video scenario and production by TRAITRS
Video directed and edited by Shawn Tucker


Keep up with TRAITRS
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Freakwave Records
Website | Facebook | Instagram |

TRAITRS presents 'Oh, Ballerina' single from coming LP

"A stunning offering... impeccable mélange of alternative dark pop and catchy goth-laced retro-futuristic soundscapes... among the fastest rising independent artists on the dark music scene" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Channeling pent-up frustration and manic creative energy... a real highlight for post-punk fans" ~ Sonic Seducer

"A classic post-punk bassline into guitars that burn like a midnight frost, or the ember of a clove cigarette... surprising cinematic influences" ~ Post-Punk.com

"The perfect modern marriage between post-punk and coldwave.... speaks volumes to the aesthetic tastes of contemporary goth culture" ~ Release Music Magazine

"Impeccable from start to finish... dark and introspective" ~ CanadianBeats

Post-punk rising stars TRAITRS have announced they will release their long-player 'Horses In The Abattoir' this autumn via Freakwave, a Berlin-based label that is part of the Schubert Music Europe group, distributed by The Orchard. Ahead of that, the duo presents the single 'Oh, Ballerina'.

Recorded by and produced with Josh Korody (F*cked Up, Japandroids, Dilly Dally, Beliefs, Nailbiter) at Candle Recording Studio, the new output was mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Linkin Park, Katy Perry).

Based in Toronto, TRAITRS was formed in 2015 by Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker. With a cinematic blend of post-punk, goth, alternative and post-rock, their emotive melodies, propulsive rhythms, angular guitars and dark cinematic electronics quickly led to the duo becoming one of the dark music scene's fastest rising independent artists.

“I approached 'Oh, Ballerina' the way I imagined Placebo challenged songs like ‘Brick Shithouse’ or ‘The Bitter End’. Keeping it simple, minimal, but punchy and effective. That’s really what motivated the passion and drive here. Lyrically the track focuses on obsession with someone else to the point of murder, based on a true story I had come across online. I felt the tone of the story perfectly mirrored what’s happening in the track instrumentally, dynamically and vocally. Keep running away now because you’re scared,” says Shawn Tucker.

“I became obsessed with minimalist composer Phillip Glass. His music completely changed the way I thought about melodies and composition, so ‘Oh, Ballerina’ began as this minimal and abstract piano piece with some atmospheric textures and very little else. I listened to the demo late and mid-way through the improvised recording, it was like the song suddenly revealed itself to me. I suddenly heard the drums and bass in my head. I grabbed my laptop, quickly programmed some drums and we finished scripting it all the next day," says Sean-Patrick Nolan.

The accompanying video, self-produced with direction and editing by Shawn Tucker, is a moody art-house horror film in the woods meets 80’s new wave music video.

“We filmed the video for “Oh, Ballerina” with a small crew in an abandoned ghost town in Ontario called Cooper’s Falls. With the help of Google satellite images and a bit of good fortune, we found the abandoned and decrepit house in the middle of a forest. We wanted a non-linear plot where by the end, it’s unclear what the fog represents, why we entered the house, if and when we left or whether or not we were there the whole time? Are these doppelgängers watching themselves entering and leaving the barn?“

Early demos, also recorded with Josh Korody, led to the duo releasing their debut cassette 'Rites And Ritual' with Pleasence Records in 2016.

Having gained traction in Europe and North America, TRAITRS released their critically acclaimed 'Butcher’s Coin' LP via Pleasence Records / Manic Depression Records / Alchera Visions in 2018. Bolstered by lead single ‘Thin Flesh’, the duo embarked on several lengthy tours overseas, performing in over a dozen countries, including showcases at Wave Gothik Treffen, Castle Party, Extramuralhas, Nocturnal Culture Night, Wavefest, Canadian Music Weekand Pop! Montreal.

Their relentless touring schedule and work ethic caught the attention of Thomas Thyssen and Eric Burton of Schubert Music Publishing and, in October 2020, they announced TRAITRS as the first signing to their brand-new record label Freakwave Records.

With the preceding limited 10’’ vinyl ‘The Sick, Tired And Ill’, which practically sold-out before its actual release, TRAITRS were able to triple their Spotify monthly listeners to >33k. In addition, lead single 'Magdalene' spent 5 consecutive weeks at #1 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC).

As of August 13, 'Oh, Ballerina' will be available digitally everywhere, including Spotify and Apple Music. On November 19, the full-length 'Horses In The Abattoir' LP will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. It can be ordered at https://orcd.co/horsesintheabattoir

CREDITS
Written and performed by TRAiTRS
Shawn Tucker - Vocals, guitar, bass guitar and lyrics
Sean-Patrick Nolan - Synths, piano, sequencing and programming
Additional percussion by Josh Korody
Recorded at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto
Produced and mixed by Josh Korody and TRAITRS
Mastered by Pete Maher
Album cover design by Shawn Tucker, based on 'Anna Pavlova In The Fokine/Saint-Saëns The Dying Swan. St. Petersburg - 1905'.
Video scenario and production by TRAITRS
Video directed and edited by Shawn Tucker


Keep up with TRAITRS
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Freakwave Records
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Contact