The Pack A.D.

The Pack A.D.
The Pack A.D. performs at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, September 2018.
The Pack A.D. performs at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, September 2018.
Background information
OriginVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresGarage rock, alternative rock, punk, psych rock, indie rock, blues rock, polka
Years active2006 (2006)–present
LabelsMint Records
Platinum / Cornflakes Zoo (France)
Nettwerk Music Group
Cadence Music Group
MembersMaya Miller
Becky Black
Websitethepackad.com

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]

Discography

Albums

  • Tintype (2007)
  • Funeral Mixtape (2008)
  • We Kill Computers (2010)
  • Unpersons (2011)
  • Do Not Engage (2014)
  • Positive Thinking (2016)
  • Dollhouse (2017)[11]
  • It Was Fun While It Lasted (2020)[12]

EPs

  • Some Sssongs (2013)
  • Meta Animal (2015)

The song "Haunt You" was featured in the films The Collection (2012)[13] and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015).[14]

The song "Everyone Looks Like Everyone" was featured in the debut episode of Crave's series Letterkenny.[15]

The song "1880" from We Kill Computers was featured in the film The Art of the Steal.

The song "Needles" was featured in the American television hit show Shameless.

The song "Yes, I Know" was featured on The CW's hit series Riverdale, as well as Showtime's reboot of The L Word: Generation Q and The WB series Animal Kingdom.

The duo performing their song “Pieces” are featured in the opening scene of Arctic Air episode “Old Wounds”.[16]

The song "Motorvate" was featured in the soundtrack of the video game NASCAR Heat 3.[17]

Singles

Year Song Chart peak Album
CAN
Alt
[18][19] 		CAN
Rock
[20][21]
2011 "Sirens" 3 37 Unpersons
2012 "Haunt You" 22 50
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ "CBC Music". music.cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. ^ "The Pack After Death". The Pack After Death. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  3. ^ Hudson, Alex (2013-04-10). "The Pack A.D. Sign to Nettwerk Records Ahead of New Album • News •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  4. ^ Hudson, Alex (2013-10-16). "The Pack A.D. Detail 'Do Not Engage' • News •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
  5. ^ Murphy, Sarah (2016-03-02). "MapleMusic Rebrands as Cadence Music Group". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  6. ^ "THE PACK A.D. | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  7. ^ "The Pack A.D. — Unpersons". ninebullets.net. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  8. ^ "Becky Black and Maya Miller get ahead of the pack". The Georgia Straight. 2010-04-21. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  9. ^ "The Pack a.d. | Bio". Thepacked.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  10. ^ Hughes, Josiah. "The Pack A.D. Announce 'Unpersons' LP". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  11. ^ "The Pack A.D. - Voulez-vous Danser | agence de production de concerts et spectacles musicaux". www.voulezvousdanser.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  12. ^ Meaww–'It Was Fun While It Lasted' is a melancholic, bittersweet, and heartfelt goodbye
  13. ^ "The Collection (2012)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  14. ^ "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  15. ^ ""Letterkenny" Ain't No Reason to Get Excited (TV Episode 2016)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  16. ^ "Season 2 | E5 | Old Wounds". Tunefind.
  17. ^ NASCAR Heat [@NASCARHeat] (2018-08-21). "Thank you to all the fans who submitted artists for our soundtrack! Without further ado, here is the official soundtrack for #NASCARHeat3!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2019-03-03 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Alternative Rock - September 27, 2011". America's Music Charts. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  19. ^ "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Alternative Rock - April 17, 2012". America's Music Charts. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  20. ^ "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Active Rock - October 4, 2011". America's Music Charts. 4 October 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  21. ^ "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Active Rock - January 31, 2012". America's Music Charts. 31 January 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
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