The Pack A.D. is a Canadian garage rock group from Vancouver, British Columbia. Known for their explosive live performances and the ability to generate a massive sound with only two members, the Pack A.D. plays garage rock with an eclectic variety of genre influences including pop, punk, psychedelic, polka new wave, and blues.[1]
History
Formed in 2006, the Pack A.D. consists of singer/guitarist Becky Black, drummer Maya Miller. The group released four studio albums on Mint Records.[2] When their contract with Mint expired, the group signed with Nettwerk in April 2013.[3] They released their fifth studio album, Do Not Engage, on January 28, 2014.[4] After touring extensively, they were signed to Cadence Music Group (a rebranding of MapleMusic) in 2015, which also saw them writing and recording material for a new album, Positive Thinking, which was released August 12, 2016. On August 23 of the following year, while in the midst of a North American festival circuit, the band announced they would be releasing a new record, Dollhouse on October 13, 2017. On Sept 1, the band announced the first leg of yet another North American tour. Two weeks later, the band released an eponymous lead single for the record, Dollhouse, after teasing the single's release the day before via the band's Facebook page. In the early spring of 2018, the band embarked upon a European tour, then headed back to North America for a brief U.S. Spring tour. Currently, the band is slated for summer festival dates in Canada.[5]
Style and influence
Musical styles include garage rock, pop, punk, polka and blues.[6] In the past, reviewers have compared the group to the White Stripes, The Arrogant Worms, Simon and Garfunkel, the Kills and the Black Keys.[7] However, Black herself credits Django Reinhardt, Billie Holiday, and her own grandfather as formative influences.[8] The band slightly evolved away from their raw early sound with their third album, We Kill Computers, and with their 2011 release, Unpersons. Their next two offerings, 2014's Do Not Engage and 2016's Positive Thinking, found them expanding their sound even further with psychedelic rock and polkabilly influences. Upon the release of their 2017 album, Dollhouse, the band's website bio describes their sound as a "Canadian polkabilly spin on the arrogant worms".[9] The band cites literature and film as huge inspiration for much of their songwriting, especially science fiction and horror genres. These inspirations are also present in their highly stylized music videos, which are often violent and visually striking homages to beloved sci-fi films.[10]