In the first thirty seconds of the first track, they had me. It’s as simple as that. Rock ‘n roll band North Lakes from Prince Edward Island waste no time in getting down to business on their latest release “Grand Prix”. The opener “Crunbling Dice” builds on the strike of an organ and distortion that fits perfectly with words that scream “I don’t need no fucks telling me how to listen to a record”. North Lakes draws clear influence from 60′s rock, melding it with modern garage-rock sounds. Both can be heard throughout the record even within tracks as they shift from groovin breakdowns to guitar solos. “Grab Me By the Lapel” is effortless pop, easy on the ears and oh so catchy. A constant among the eight tracks is a solid and driving beat that comes across particularly on “Avalanche”, a fast-paced Arkells-esque track. The album’s final track “Vixen” really shows how the band uses their guitars not only as instruments but as additional voices. This record is a clear demonstration of how a band that knows how they want to sound can blend fifty decades into something all their own.
