“Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” : The Latest From Propter Hawk
Photography by Alex Carre. Writing and editing by Kian Gannon, in collaboration with Propter Hawk and Sharrowbay Publicity.
Forming only a few years ago, Propter Hawk is a rock and roll outfit stretching across the corners of the GTA. Influenced by sounds of The Beatles, Humble Pie, Otis Redding and many more, Propter Hawk fuse together a unique sound between traditional and modern rock and roll. Formed from the shells of other bands, and some shady, classified ads, Propter Hawk is Malorie Blake (lead vocals), Alec McEachern (lead guitar), Andrew Blake (rhythm guitar), Brian Derro (bass, backup vocals), and Jimmy Ruddock (drums, backup vocals). Leading up to their latest release, Clean Old-Fashioned Hate, the band strive through employing vintage gear and working together with Carlon Nicholson and Mike O’Brien (of stample Canadian rock band, Zeus) at Pineship Sound in Toronto.
In anticipation of their upcoming debut album, Propter Hawk pulls listeners back in with their latest single Clean Old-Fashioned Hate. Inspired by American rock and roll and Motown, Propter Hawk bring an animated dance tune to their audience that feels different but familiar. Forming cynical lyrics, with an emphasis on anti-establishment narratives, the band remind their fans of the overarching themes and styles they’ve come to love. The quote, “The song points a finger in the seat of power’s general direction while imploring the have-nots to cavort with whatever energy they have left.” is one of many ways we’ve heard this record be described.
“We had an idea for a song with a kind of 60’s dance hall vibe that we’d been working on, but we wanted to do something a bit more relevant with it” says singer Malorie Blake. Followed by guitarist Andrew Blake adding “Mal read somewhere about a college football rivalry between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech that they called ‘Clean Old-Fashioned Hate’.” Andrew grabbed onto this thought and found that it was the perfect way to describe the despondent feeling that’s growing in our society as the gap between classes widens.
The band wasted no time and soon found the tones of this soulful track during a session at Pineship Sound, a studio in Toronto. As described by the band, this song is a slight departure from their heavier, overdriven releases Theatre of The Whole World and Telephone. Instead, this song brings forward a combination of jangly guitars, a walking bassline, and an infectious backbeat to the forefront of the instrumental. Suspended above all these layers, is Malorie’s alluring voice throughout the duration of the track.
In less than a year, Propter Hawk have finally reached the last few steps on the way to their long-awaited album. Clean Old-Fashioned Hate brings a final preview of what’s to come and can be heard live across the city in the coming months at shows including Canadian Music Week, Go North Festival and many more!
Upcoming Shows
June 6th – Canadian Music Week @ Bar Cathedral (Toronto, ON)
June 30th – Lee’s Palace (Toronto, ON)
July 8th – Go North Festival (Richard’s Landing, ON)
Song written by Malorie Blake and Andrew Blake
Performed by Malorie Blake, Andrew Blake, Alec McEachern, Brian Derro, and Jimmy Ruddock
Engineered by Mike O’Brien
Produced and Mixed by Carlin Nicholson
Mastered by Philip Shaw Bova
Recorded at Pineship Sound in Toronto, ON
Stream Clean Old-Fashioned Hate here on Spotify and Apple Music
