Pastel Blank is the Montréal-based art-rock project led by singer and songwriter Angus Watt. Known for their genre-bending sounds and incisive lyricism, the band has drawn comparisons to the likes of Pavement and Talking Heads.

Today the band is back for the first time since their 2022 self-titled with the announcement of their signing to Paper Bag Records and debut album, Unmade in Minutes, out April 24th. 

They share the funky and satirical lead single and video from the record today, squaring off against ‘Big Pharma’ in “Shareholder.”

On the track Watt explains, “This started as a demo titled “Physician”, and while the mental image of a cartoonishly evil pill-happy doctor was kind of fun to imagine, it felt a bit reductive of the larger issue of the opioid epidemic and how it came to be.”

“I think the sentiment holds true – we vote with our dollar. It’s worth knowing where your money goes, even if the truth is depressing as hell. While these companies should be held to task for their greed, we also need to account for ourselves and take responsibility where we can.“

Recording-wise, two people who had a massive impact on the song are Brennan Doyle and Hanum Yoon-Henderson. Brennan, who makes music under the name Your Friend Brennan and YFBOB; brought his uniquely expansive sample library to the track, elevating it with his inventive sound-design additions.

Yoon-Henderson contributed an explosive wood-block part in the chorus, among many other percussion elements. The recording coincided with his deep dive into all things percussion, an intersection Watt is “endlessly grateful for.”

The music video marks Pastel Blank’s first collaboration with Patrick Macht, Micah Henry, and Bray Jorstad, who previously worked on the “Dopamine” and “Sweet Nic” videos. The shoot was, fittingly, “incredibly fun.”

With “Shareholder,” Pastel Blank proves they’re here to make you think and dance — sometimes at the same time.“Shareholder” is out February 18th. Unmade in Minutes is out April 24th via Paper Bag Records.

PASTEL BLANK BIO:

Pastel Blank revolves around the songs and voice of songwriter Angus Watt. It is brought to life by an ever-shifting cast of musicians and recurring collaborators from Montréal, Vancouver, and Victoria, and exists somewhere between a “solo” project and a band.

Experimentation is cloaked in pop-minded song structure: the sheen and gloss of a disco ball glints off the edges of sharp, angular post-punk sensibilities. The groove is a morse code stutter; there is funkiness, but it is tempered by a wide-eyed nervousness, as if the songs themselves aren’t sure what will happen next.

The result is a warped fun house mirror of referentialism: a collage of sounds that are at once familiar and yet also slightly alien in their combination. Pastel Blank offers an opportunity for catharsis: today’s anxieties become tonight’s reason to dance.