Canyons and Locusts declare a thunderous arrival with ‘Day of the Canyon’
The Boston + Phoenix melodic noise-rock duo unleash a chaotic cacophony of sonic storytelling on Friday, January 24
NOW PLAYING: Listen to ‘Day of the Canyon’ on Spotify
Discordant concept album ‘The Goal Gigolo’ creeps closer to its February 21 release
“The duo of drummer Amy Young and guitarist-singer Justin Keane prove that a lo-fi rock sound can be the vehicle for high-concept material with a strong punch.” – WBUR, Boston’s NPR
Boston, MA [January 24, 2025] – Before we can experience the Year of Canyons and Locusts, we must first acknowledge “Day of the Canyon.” And from there, the weeks, and then months, will soon fall into place, making 2025 quite possibly the loudest year ever.
That’s in no small part to the Boston and Phoenix melodic noise-rock duo’s thunderous, riff-fueled new single, as “Day of the Canyon” hits the streams with a ferocious blast of sonic pizzazz on Friday, January 24.
It’s the second offering from Canyons and Locusts’ forthcoming discordant anti-hero concept album, The Goal Gigolo, which boils to the surface on February 21 and was tabbed by WBUR, Boston’s NPR, as one of the most-anticipated New England records of the winter. The album draws together several storytelling narrators underneath the duo’s unhinged wall of fuzzed-out rock and roll, and carries an unfurling narrative that began in November with the release of the gritty, confrontational, and catchier-than-an-attitude lead single “Anna Save A Life.”
But at its magnetic core, stripped of all the meaning and clues buried beneath lyrics and the Canyons and Locusts sound, “Day of the Canyon” is a declaration. It finds vocalist, guitarist, and bassist Justin Keane and drummer Amy Young locked into an adrenalized harmony, crafting their chaotic cacophony of sound – and ultimately, a storytelling vision – that extends far beyond the imagined capacities of two musicians currently situated on opposite sides of the country, leaning on a shared chemistry that belies their physical 2,700-mile separation.
“This is a song of arrival,” says Keane. “That’s the capstone lyric: ‘We have arrived’. Stepping off the plane and into the sun. Take your pictures and flash your bulbs. Game on.” Young agrees, adding: “It truly does come down to those three words. We are comfortable in our skin as a band in a very exciting way. We’ve kept the power from past lessons, shed the rest, and are here for all of what is now and what’s next.”
And it fits well into the emerging Canyons and Locusts’ catalog, acting as a thematic companion to “Night of the Locust,” from the band’s 2022 Red on Red Records album Roll The Dice. “Day of the Canyon” was produced by Keane and Ethan Dussault, and recorded and mixed by Dussault at New Alliance Studio in Somerville, MA, with mastering by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East.
Keane admits he was messing around with his guitar during one songwriting session, and as the song titles came into view, so did the lyrics and overall song structure. The signature riff – Keane plays an F#barre shape minus the root, and then A and D shape cowboy chords in open position, sounding a full step higher because his guitar is tuned a full step up – is the type that drives a person to do the unthinkable.
“It came together pretty quickly from there,” he adds. “I’d been listening to a ton of Hellacopters (themselves pretty heavy into Kiss) and that opening riff and the little hammer-on afterwards beam out of those two playbooks, respectively. Ethan at New Alliance really doubled down on the production aspect by getting me to play it a few step-ups up the fretboard for a solo that is my favorite kind of solo for me–one that isn’t really a solo but just gets you to the next part.”
Young, whose drumming explodes out of the speakers like the best kind of sucker-punches, delivers the thunder to Keane’s lightning.
“I locked in with this one the second I heard it – it was all intuitive,” she reveals. “That riff just screams big rock and this earnest swagger, so I just wanted to highlight all of that by emphasizing the spots that felt the most natural to do so. I wanted to take what Justin created and drive it the hell home.”
While the cinematic saga of The Goal Gigolo will play out across the New Year, we’re already absorbing pieces that begin to tell a larger story. The album is the story of a pretty flawed protagonist, the eponymous character, who’s made some bad decisions and has gotten himself into trouble trying to help people in his new location. He’s got to go through some shit to get back on his feet again.
Whereas with “Anna Save A Life,” our protagonist was reaching out to a mysterious figure to assist him with his latest descent into the unpleasant, “Day of the Canyon” illuminates a few underlying messages through its lyrics, like the appearance of “starry eyes” (a hat tip to long-gone English power-pop band The Records) and the aforementioned “we have arrived” (pulled both from conversational English but also The New Pornographers 2005 standout “The Bleeding Heart Show”).
“It’s the third song on the album and as an old-time baseball fan I like to look at the number three as the most complete hitter in the lineup,” Keane reveals. “This is the point where the Gigolo touches down in his new desert and I wanted it to be like this flash-bang-whiz-snap kind of a deal, like he’s stepping off the plane and into some sort of corrupted press conference on the tarmac where he just talks in slogans and soundbites.”
As we’ll soon learn, our anti-hero’s arc is a fascinating one: He goes through some dark nights of the soul in “Moriarty The Serpent,” reaches out for Anna in “Anna Save A Life,” and regroups at his new watering hole in “Take Me Back To Lee’s” (a shout-out to Keane’s brother, nicknamed Lee). And this is all before he goes after the ultimate villain, The Piano Man (yes, that one). Keane jokes that it’s like walking through Bed-Stuy at night.
But in reality, it simply came to him in a dream.
“I had a dream about this guy, The Goal Gigolo,” Keane admits. “It was surprisingly narrative (a few of the sketches in the dream were already basically full-formed song ideas) and I just immediately had this waking thought that the album would be some kind of distant cousin to Robert Altman’s film The Long Goodbye – deserts and beaches and decent men and women falling apart to put themselves back together again.”
It all takes on a cinematic feel. One that Young is eager to set to a beat.
“It was Justin’s dream, but easy for me to connect with – the songs tell the stories,” she concludes. “It’s a journey, and watching journeys unfold is fascinating. It’s a movie that I see in my mind based on Justin’s words. I got to help add a soundtrack to this guy’s goings on. What’s not awesome about that?”
It feels like a day worth celebrating.
‘Day of the Canyon’ single artwork:
Canyons and Locusts are:
Justin Keane: Vocals, guitar, and bass
Amy Young: Drums
‘Day of the Canyon’ production credits:
Produced by Justin Keane and Ethan Dussault
Recorded and mixed by Ethan Dussault at New Alliance Studio in 2023, 2024
Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East, 2024
Music and lyrics by Justin Keane, Heavy Fuzz Music/BMI
Canyons and Locusts short bio:
Canyons and Locusts are a two-piece band featuring Boston’s Justin Keane on vocals and guitar and Phoenix’s Amy Young on drums and backing vocals. Fueled by the chaos of the world and an urgent need to be part of the conversation, the two took the indie rock foundation they built together in previous bands, adding new levels of noise via pervasive, edgy guitar sounds, low and thundery drum beats, and vocals that capture a mix of emotions and power dynamics. The Red Angel EP, dedicated to Red on Red Records’ Justine Covault, was released in March 2024, and featured a quartet of singles in “Buck Dharma’s Eyes,” “To Art Bell,” “Soo All The Way,” and the Valentine’s Day release “Love Goes Down The Drain.” A new concept record titled The Goal Gigolo arrives in February 2025, led by the singles “Anna Save a Life” and “Day of the Canyon.”
Media praise for Canyons and Locusts:
“Notable.” _Brooklyn Vegan
“The duo of drummer Amy Young and guitarist-singer Justin Keane prove that a lo-fi rock sound can be the vehicle for high-concept material with a strong punch.” _WBUR, Boston’s NPR
“Picking up where October’s furious ‘Buck Dharma’s Eyes’ left off, ‘To Art Bell’ is a hazy fever of gritty alt-rock and Midwestern college rock that clocks in at just over two minutes in runtime. And it’s not lost on the band that this chaotic and noisy tune is inspired, in part, by a radio host who’s timbre and cadence helped put listeners at ease.” _The Big Takeover
"Canyons and Locusts are one of the best kept secrets in the Indie music world right now. Justin Keane's voice is a thing of beauty, Amy Young is a hard hitting drummer, and the songs are brilliant." _Steev Riccardo, Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico Podcast
“Another manic motherrocker from this duo who sound as a 4-motor hit-and-run band. As usual, amps way up and the volume to the max. Riff-o-rama all the way while bashing drums do your head in. Garage punk ‘n’ roll at its turbulent best. Call your own Anna and challenge the anti-decibels police. Sounds like far-out fun, right? You betcha.” _Turn Up The Volume
“Canyons and Locusts have always been one of the more interesting bands we’ve covered here at If It’s Too Loud... [‘Anna Save a Life’] clocks in at just under two minutes, and sounds like either the Ramones playing garage rock or some odd mixture of Husker Du and Guided By Voices. It’s a noisy rock song with a DIY feel, but it's also weirdly catchy.” _If It’s Too Loud
“Of note…” _Stereogum
“‘Anna Save A Life’... really embraces the layers of fuzz within their no-frills sound. From its opening barrage of muted guitar chords throwing out a pseudo-punky riff, the number promises great things, then as it explodes into a world of heavy fuzz bass and drawled vocals, the power in the duo’s brand of retro noise becomes truly apparent. As the song progresses, it becomes more about riffs than lyrical hooks, but manages to retain a sharp edge that’s more than reminiscent of classic garage punk sounds. On a basic level, this makes it the ultimate Canyons track, even if it’s only ever the boisterous edge that leaves an impression.” _Real Gone Rocks
“Canyons and Locusts ram it out in just a little more than two minutes. … Where the previous single ‘To Art Bell’ was a musically varied affair, the duo all but flies out of the bend in the road here [‘Soo All The Way’]. Anyone in the mood for some uncomplicated headbanging knows where to go now.” _WoNo Magazine
“In a flurry of fuzz and ferocious pummeling, Keane and Young are back at it again with barely two minutes of raucous Rawk that ends before it has a chance to get stale. Decidedly a little more chirpier than previous outing ‘To Art Bell’, ‘Soo All The Way’ is a crunchy number with Young laying out some percussive heft as Keane’s growly croon rattles around in your noggin long after the final chords ring out.” _Rock And Roll Fables
“[‘Love Goes Down The Drain’] is a fast paced, no punches thrown tune that shows the band letting their emotions run wild … It could best be described as an anti Valentine’s Day romp with a punk twist.” _Music Box Pete
“Packed with ample doses of throwback punk energy and a sneering-forward delivery, ‘Buck Dharma’s Eyes’ is everything you’d hope alluding to the BOC frontman, and everything you need to push through the artificial. It is an escape from the clean-cut, over-produced nonsense and exists confidently in its attitude. Laced with an energetic fervor, the two-minute single leaves me wanting so much more. But tis the season to be thankful for what we have.” _Nanobot Rock
“When we heard ‘To Art Bell,’ from Boston and Phoenix duo Canyons And Locusts, it felt like a musical awakening. To hear music and melodies orchestrated like they are presented on ‘To Art Bell’ was absolute magic.” _The Whole Kameese
“Canyons and Locusts’ new track ‘Buck Dharma’s Eyes’ brings back memories of the early 2000s. With the gritty guitar and equally gravelly vocal performance, you can imagine this tune introducing the latest coming-of-age blockbuster that will have teens and young adults lining up around the block.” _Indie Band Guru
“Canyons and Locusts do a lot with just two instruments and they've had a signature sound since the first single. Their newly released song ‘Buck Dharma’s Eyes’ has that sound. They've managed to keep things interesting with melody and lyric content and that’s the case here. We really want to read into ‘Buck Dharma’s Eyes’ but the lyrics don’t reveal anything specific. The repeated use of ‘amen’ also raises the stakes. The verses when read without the music almost seem like a meditation, a calming. Is the title just a way to get the word ‘dharma’ (cosmic order) into the song? It’s all intriguing.” _Boston Groupie News
“‘Buck Dharma’s Eyes’ initially leads with a fuzzy melodic tempting but soon reveals its garage punk instincts as Keane’s distinctive tones share their emotive contemplation. Already that pop catchiness is fuelling the track’s swing though, a listener involving courting simply adding greater potency to its aligning sonic discord and emotive anxiety. As a whole, ‘Buck Dharma’s Eyes’ is a track bound in thick infectiousness, its contagion of noise and melodic fire cast with a similarly organic trespass of enterprise which we for one were very quickly enamoured with.” _The RingMaster Review
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