Downstater - 'Losing Grip'
Quebec City punk quintet release blinding single ‘Losing Grip’, with touches of influence from their surrounding genres and a new album on the way, they’ve created a glaring, riff-heavy track to rally behind for an all-new project.
The new track from downstater is a true Swiss Army knife of a punk track. It draws on the best parts of its surroundings to fuel a brilliant, almost nostalgic sound. Éric Morin manages to take clean, chopping pop-punk drumming and set an evident tone for the track to follow, and although the concise, ferocious double strokes create this atmosphere, the guitars layered over the top wear a mask of their own. They take this all-familiar sound and add sharp chords and blistering Avenge Sevenfold-esque solo riffs that while maintaining the pop punk essence of the track, project the wider sound into a more spacious environment reminiscent of long hair and skinny jeans adorning bands like Halestorm and Skillet.
The vocals also embrace this sound and allow the contrasted nature of the present undertones to thrive completely. Jean-Philippe Lagacé, lead vocalist for Downstater and formerly metal veterans Get That Shot, mixes perfectly with this clash of colossal sounds as he brings a more 2000s melodic metal sound into a pop-punk pacing. The sheer dynamicism behind this performance carries the sound into something fresh and exciting and really amplifies the song's message of awaiting an oncoming downfall.
Coupling both instrumental and vocal parts this way helps create a truly impressive track that makes structural improvements to the established sound set within their 2023 album ‘Cruelst Defeats’. This amplification of influence shows that the band have allowed real personal influence to help mould their sound, something that in an age of Tik Tok singles and online popularity contests seems to become less and less frequent and it's thrilling to see that despite this media landscape focusing on this that there are still many authentic bands chasing the development of their own art and their own passion. This single marks the announcement of an all-new album, an exciting time for the band that clearly seems to build upon this honest and blistering sound.
Downstater are set for a 2026 tour, hoping to chase this 90’s punk revivalist mindset and continue to build upon their beautiful sound. These tracks have a real uncontainable energy within them that I truly believe will translate perfectly to a live stage, and barking on a North American and European tour will undoubtedly be a perfect chance for them to test their metal and melt our minds, and I hope to catch you all in the pit!
Words by Josh Pook
