Warmduscher - Too Cold To Hold

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When I first saw Warmduscher at Bar Le Ritz in 2023, a couple of friends and I snuck into the green room to ask for an interview during the opening act. Though we were uninvited and the band was visibly in rough shape from the previous night, the guys were accommodating. Their energy climbed from zero to one hundred in the short time between the green room and the stage. It was a wild show and they'll be back at Bar Le Ritz next month (March 5).

Warmducher’s latest album Too Cold To Hold is their finest. The first of the band’s five studio albums to be produced in-house, Too Cold To Hold retains the punky/soulful/chaotic Warmduscher sound and blends several influences; notably gqom (an African form of house music). Many wind instruments–the flugelhorn, trombone, alto sax, clarinet, tuba–add to the new sound. The band collaborated with several artists including–and somewhat out of left field–Lianne La Havas.

The opener is an introduction by Trainspotting author, Irvine Welsh who describes a DMT trip in which he dissolves into dots and has a type of “pre-birth experience”. Welsh is a friend of the band and is not the only notable album opener they've had; Warmduscher’s third studio album, Tainted Lunch, was opened by Iggy Pop himself.

Welsh’s intro is followed by “Fashion Week”, with a classic WD sound. Clams Baker Jr.'s lyrics describe the type that are determined to live their version of the high life, without the proper means to do it–even if only for a brief moment.

“Fashion Week” is the first of a few songs to touch on the theme of getting by or being screwed by the system. In “Cleopatras” the line “Bills and grief, it’s all you leave” is repeated. “Staying Alive” involves a “Single mom with a big smile wondering why she's gotta get high just to stay alive.” The title track, “Too Cold To Hold” is a top-hole tune. It opens with the lyrics,“Twelve degrees, lying in my damn bed / Looking at my own breath / Can’t pay for heat / Living like a Goddamn bum.” Numerous Montrealers can relate to enduring a cold winter in a cold apartment–trading warmth to save on cash. I'm bundled in two sweaters and a pair of long johns right now.

“Pure at the Heart”, featuring Janet Planet of Confidence Man, is a catchy track with a laid-back, funky sound. “Top Shelf” is fast-paced with punchy drums. The acoustic drums, played by Bleu Ottis Wright have a great sound throughout the album.

Coucou Chloe is featured on “Cleopatras”, a heavier number owing to the tuba and bass clarinet. The following track, “Immaculate Deception”, features Jeshi.

Band member Benjamin Romans Hopcraft worked alongside Jamie Neville of Teeth Studios to produce the album and boil down several influences into one sound.

In a press release, Hopcraft said, “We’re known for acting in a certain way, playing in a certain way and deploying a certain method. I think the formula for Warmduscher is chaos. In every aspect. There’s a lot of method to the chaos that we adopt, making sure that we are in control of that and the development of that chaos is really important.”