Canadian Rifle

Canadian Rifle is a punk band based out of Chicago that formed in 2007. They have been consistently active and touring since their conception. There’s been lineup changes along the way, but they currently exist as a three-piece made up of Jake Levee on guitar and lead vocals, Tim Murphy on bass and vocals, and Dustin Christain on drums. The band has gathered a cult following through years of touring the US, Europe, and Canada.

They have released five 7” records and three studio albums. Their debut, Visibility Zero, came out in 2009 via Residue Records, then Deep Ends via Dirt Cult Records in 2013, and most recently, Peaceful Death in 2018 via Dead Broke Records. They’ve also released a number of limited tour tapes and other various recordings. They are currently working on a fourth studio album, Afterlife, which will be recorded this September.

Canadian Rifle plays urgent and melodic, but heavy music that has confidence and desperation at the same time. It sounds like a runaway freight train that could derail at any time, but somehow manages to stay roughly on the tracks. The lyrical content is somewhat abstract, touching on the bleakness of shallow human interaction, hanging on by a self-inflicted thread, running on fumes, and trying to move forward from mistakes and frames of mind that carry the behavior of skirting the edge that most would more than likely not venture into.

They continue to be as active as possible, taking their time on recording so nothing sounds thrown together. They plan on continuing to explore the truth of human struggle, false communication that should be exposed, and that there is a certain beauty in being honest, even if the truth has a negative nature.