Though they already have two albums to their name, the upcoming third and Sub Pop debut from Montreal’s Corridor seems to suggest the band have had a new gust of life.
It’s appropriate then that the latest taste from Junior, and last before its release on 18 October, is fuelled by a nervous and excited energy. “Pow” has all the rhythmic impact that you would hope from such a title, from the jittery hi-hats that steadily drive the track to the booming tom-tom off beats that counter them at the turn of every line.
But a Pulp-like bass-line, shimmering and grizzly guitar lines, and reverb heavy vocals (not to mention vocoded yodeling) also give the track a strong melodic veneer, as Jonathan Robert sings in his native Québécois of “Standing in front of the bed, blind, visionary, motionless and absent”.
“Pow” follows the epic call-and-response of lead single “Topographe” and the no-wave anthem (and already an album highlight), “Domino”. Though remarkably the Canadians are the first Francophone act to be signed to Sub Pop, these three tracks already hint at a momentous change for both the label and band.
