B-Side Guys

On “PLEASE,” cleopatrick steps into uncharted territory, marking their first collaboration with producer Philip Weinrobe. The Toronto duo’s expansion beyond their usual creative boundaries yields a track that deliberately mangles the boundaries between raw performance and machine manipulation.

The production method becomes part of the message, with Weinrobe routing nearly the entire mix through a Roland 303 sampler. This approach creates what guitarist/vocalist Luke Gruntz calls a “slushy mess of missing information and usurped data” – a perfect complement to lyrics exploring involuntary attraction and collective consciousness.

The track’s structure mirrors its thematic descent into belonging. Opening lines “something there little more than a habit/won’t take it off its just a part of me” establish the addictive nature of connection, while the repeated plea of “baby its so animal/the way i gotta be on your team” reinforces the primal nature of group dynamics. The imagery grows increasingly visceral throughout, with references to cannibalism and drowning painting a picture of consumption by community.

As the arrangement progresses, even the instruments submit to digital decay. Clean guitar tones dissolve into distorted fragments, while drums blur into electronic approximations of their former selves. This deterioration perfectly captures the lyrical transformation from individual to collective, especially in lines like “pulls me down like the planet” – gravity becomes a metaphor for social magnetism.

“PLEASE” suggests cleopatrick’s upcoming album “FAKE MOON” will push beyond the constraints of traditional rock structures. By filtering their trademark intensity through Weinrobe’s experimental production techniques, they’ve created something that challenges both genre conventions and group psychology.