Japandroids have just unveiled the closing song, All Bets Are
Off, from next month’s Fate & Alcohol LP.
The Vancouver punk faves will be releasing their fourth (and
final) record on October 18 – but before then, you can hear how the whole
thing wraps up…
Speaking about how All Bets Are Off came to be, Brian King
reveals: “Night off. I could have rested though (of course) I didn’t. The crew
were on one and the party was well underway when I arrived. The other patrons
didn’t seem to appreciate our noisy and colourful presence (squares), but the
boys were blissfully unaware, hurling hot words at one another and making
absurd bets with their per diems, like whether it was possible to light a
cigarette with a pistol shot. I knew where this was going and wanted no part of
it.
“I slunk to a shadowy corner and ordered a cocktail, spur to my
jaded spirits. I was gathering material for a book on bar life and it was the
perfect place to watch the hungry hearts of Saturday twist towards the blue
emptiness of Sunday morning. Poolroom tigers and nightclub kittens, on the
prowl for a piece of anything. Cups and lips, quips and quirks, I frantically
jotted it all down sparing no detail. Another cocktail? Don't mind if I do! The
night was primed and I felt punk.
“Seeing her immediately stripped me of my powers. A thousand
thoughts, frozen and kept in cold storage, thawed all at once. She was not the
same woman I had known, exuding a subtle elegance and sensuality I had never
seen before; she looked breathtaking. Every exquisite nuance like salt on old
love-cuts. Chicly dressed too, which added to my agony. The imbalance between
us was obvious, making me self-conscious. Still, I decided to let it play out.
Cue the music.”
Check it out now: