It’s been one hell of a wild ride for Wine Lips.
Originally formed in Toronto back in 2015 as a part-time project between Cam Hilborn (vox, songwriter, guitar) and drummer extraordinaire Aurora Evans, Wine Lips quickly escalated into a full-blown, full-time, full-on international phenomenon. Their debut album took them across North America followed immediately by an intensive and unexpected tour of Hong Kong and China in 2018. They released their massive “Stressor” album the very next year (2019) to rave reviews and massive critical acclaim. Multiple tracks from Stressor charted across North American and European radio, while several songs ended up being featured in broadcast and Netflix series. Endless touring ensued.
Then 2020 happened. The band used their mandatory downtime to fully dedicate themselves to crafting their groundbreaking third full-length “Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party” (recorded by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack). The record was released in October 2021 and then shit really hit the fan. The international music press lost their collective minds, penning over 250 glowing features and super positive reviews spanning 35+ countries. At the time of writing, the album is rapidly approaching 20 Million spins on Spotify alone. The vinyl release of MDSBP is currently in its 7th pressing with 9 different colour variants. The lead track “Eyes” has been licensed to a metric ton of films, series and video games including ABC’s The Rookie, Hockey Night In Canada and Population 11. Even more endless touring ensued, except this time the venues were huge and mostly sold-out.
Which brings us to the new record… “Super Mega Ultra” is an absolute beast. Recorded by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack in Ontario, the album is jam-packed with 12 ramped-up supersonic ear-scorching auditory delicacies. SMU is probably Wine Lips’ most ambitious undertaking to date, exploring new thematic territory while firmly maintaining their signature psych garage punk rock panache. You truly need to hear the album to believe it… And if you haven’t already guessed, more endless touring is booked for 2024. The wild ride continues!
“It’s tough writing a new record when you’re always on tour. The previous album seemed to be doing really well and at times I felt like I was hitting a wall creatively. Long story short, I think this album turned out great. Simon always brings a good vibe at the Sugar Shack and we were able to try some new ideas and capture the energy without straying too far from our roots. Excited to see where these songs take us in the future.” – Cam Hilborn
“It’s pure adrenaline, it’s noise, it’s intense, it’s refreshing, and it feels life-giving. The garage-psych band’s new album is, for all intents and purposes, pretty fucking crazy.” – Exclaim!
“There’s a sensuality and strong sense of controlled chaos that these Canadians bring to life on the record.” – New Noise Magazine
“Now that’s what I call music!.” – Iggy Pop BBC Radio