NOBRO - Live Your Truth Shred Some Gnar (2022)

"I spent my whole life running away; I think I like it better that way." Those lyrics form the basis of "Better Each Day," the first single from NOBRO's new EP Live Your Truth Shred Some Gnar, seven of the most searing examples of scorched earth rock and roll ever committed to tape by a Canadian band. Call them punk rock if you like, because the Montreal quartet certainly does espouse a philosophy of rejecting societal norms. But if we can now accept that punk was essentially a guy thing, then that's just one more long-held belief the members of NOBRO are here to challenge. In fact, bassist/vocalist Kathryn McCaughey founded the band almost as a challenge to herself when the aftermath of a relationship with a prominent Montreal musician made her determined to be "more than just a footnote on this person's Wikipedia page." She realized she possessed all the tools to express herself in her own voice and to shape her own destiny. All that was needed were fellow musicians who felt the same. "It all started out of anger, resentment and revenge," McCaughey now says with a laugh. Once finding drummer Sarah Dion, the search shifted to enlisting a female guitarist. "That was actually extremely difficult. After the word got out that I was looking for someone, I started getting guys coming to me saying, 'I'm going to play guitar in your band,' and my immediate response was, 'No, bro.'" Ultimately, McCaughey partnered with guitarist Karolane Carbonneau and, with keyboardist/percussionist Lisandre Bourdages rounding out the line-up, NOBRO made an immediate impact on the Montreal scene with their debut independent 7-inch in 2016. With that, the band soon landed their first major appearance as part of the 2017 WayHome Festival. They hit the road hard afterward, touring the U.S. with FIDLAR and touring Canada with PUP, Alexisonfire and The Distillers. In 2020, NOBRO finally released its first EP, Sick Hustle, which Exclaim! described as, "filled with enough excellent shredding to sell even the toughest punk snob on this band." If that couldn't convince them, Live Your Truth Shred Some Gnar surely will. With producer Thomas D'Arcy (July Talk, The Sheepdogs, Yukon Blonde) behind the board as he was on Sick Hustle, the main job was once again harnessing NOBRO's raw power with heavy doses of fun and flair. "When I'm listening to music, I just want it fucking loud," McCaughey states bluntly. "So, I think it's important to us to offer music that can be played extremely loud and that's the foundation of all these new songs." Mission accomplished.