Ungirthed
My Purity Ring cover for Last Gang's 20th anniversary is out now
When Last Gang Records asked if I wanted to cover a song from their back catalogue for their 20th anniversary, I knew right away what I would do. While the label has been home to iconic groups like Chromeo and Metric, I wanted to try my hand at “Ungirthed,” Purity Ring’s debut single from 2011.
I knew Megan and Corin from their affiliation with an earlier Edmonton band called Gobble Gobble (later known as Born Gold). While that group had more of a Dan Deacon experimental pop vibe, Purity Ring drew me in immediately by how trap-influenced Corin’s production seemed to be. When “Ungirthed” first came out, I was blown away! At the time, I was thinking, “This is possibly the coolest music to ever come out of Edmonton.” There was just something about this track that made me feel optimistic when it first emerged from the ether.
When it was time to make the cover, I got in the studio with Dan Only and he cooked up his own modern take on the original beat. Rather than a straight word-for-word remake, I decided to write two new verses inspired by elements of Megan’s poetic lyrics from the original. In that sense, it like a lyrical remix:
Keep my heart open
Known as “He who Spoke the Most”
Get my quotes from the ghosts
Like a hand holding a folded note
Listen to “Ungirthed” on all platforms
It was such a nice surprise last weekend to see the Toronto Star listing Breaking Kayfabe as one of the 17 Canadian albums that shaped the sound of the 2000s. To see my debut album on a list like that is incredibly meaningful to me. One of the coolest things about making music is seeing what resonates with people over time. I’m blessed to have made something that folks are still talking about decades later.
We’ve got some plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Breaking Kayfabe this year so keep an eye out for what we’re cooking up.
Hitting the road soon:
February 27 - Toronto - DJ Set @ Wavelength Winter Festival 2025 (with The OBGMs, pHoenix Pagliacci, Bonnie Trash, Gurpreet and Truss)
March 13 - Halifax - The Seahorse Tavern (with Cuerpos and DJ Mommy)
March 14 - Ottawa - National Arts Centre
March 15 - Montréal - Casa Del Popolo
March 28 - Victoria - Garden City Grooves Festival
Get Cadence Weapon vinyl and merch here
You can find me updating my playlists or hanging on Bluesky, Twitter and Instagram. You can listen to my music on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp and you can get Cadence Weapon merchandise here. Read my monthly column in Hazlitt. Pick up your copy of Bedroom Rapper here and please rate it on Goodreads.
Congrats and well deserved on making that list!