Audiopile Review: No longer a mere offshoot of the long-running and many-tentacled noise-punk outfit Shearing Pinx, Nanaimo’s own Earth Ball break from the regional limitations inherit with isolated island living and self-released cassettes with a debut LP on one of the UK’s best imprints, Upset! The Rhythm. Initially formed as a trio that revolved around Isabel Ford (she’ll always be Izzy to us!) on bass and vox, the octopus-armed John Brennan on drums and Audiopile alum Jeremy Van Wyck on guitar and various homespun electronics. The three have been interchangeably performing together across many experimental projects over the years, including but not limited to Eschatons, CROTCH, Psychedelic Dirt and, of course, Shearing Pinx, the latter spoken of ‘round here with a revered tone after their nearly 20 years as thee focal point of the ‘00s/‘10s DIY underground of Vancouver, now stationed on Vancouver Island and rarely deployed. Eventually bulking up to a five piece, Earth Ball now features Kellen Maclaughlin on guitar and Liam Murphy on saxophone, the pair of newcomers sucked directly into the trio’s psychic vortex already in place. Earth Ball take elements of the Pinx’s penchant for no wave sonics and pierce them through a molten core of avant-rock, free form jazz, billowing doom-drone and lumbering stoner riffage, each recording and live set completely improvised. It’s Yours is pure white lightning captured in a cracked bottle—howling riffs intercut with red-faced sax skronk, down-the-drain twin guitar whirls are given a shapely groove by Izzy’s punchy bass hypnosis, and Brennan’s hot-wired drumming guides them all toward explosive ascendence. Vocals are seemingly employed when the feeling is right, Izzy’s Kim Gordon-esque sung-from-the-gut poetry and Jer’s basement howl add a level of foreboding magick to their scorched visions. In a relatively short time, Earth Ball have garnered more attention than any of the members’ previous outings, including an extensive UK tour alongside the legendary Chris Corsano, a recent opening slot for Wolf Eyes, an interview in the Quietus, a highlighted slot with the Vancouver Jazz Fest this week, and they’ve been christened with a meme by none other than Inzane Johnny! Time to shake free with Earth Ball, It’s Yours. Edition of 500.

Truly psychedelic and damaged, Wolf Eyes favourite new group. “I was [working at a call center] a few months and at the time I reconnected with John Brennan who I had played with briefly in Montreal at the Mutek Festival. In Montreal, John was running an experimental music night at a burrito shop downtown called Garbage Night. While in Vancouver I began connecting with the music scene there and would go hang out with the Shearing Pinx lads who I think lived with Sydney the bass player at the time… Fast forward to today. 2024… John asks if I’ll sit in with Earth Ball and I keep thinking about Earth Balance, the vegan butter everyone eats here. I brought my aching bones and my IPads on the beautiful ferry named the Queen of Oak Bay and out to Nanaimo BC, home of the nanaimo bar… [W]hen Earth Ball fire up the amps in Izzy and Jer’s basement you can hear the voices of the ghosts hum through electrical lines and out the speakers, Kellen’s hued feedback, Izy’s sturdy basslines, Jer’s paperbag guitar tone and rumble pack zaps, Liam’s (aka the Kid) sheets of sound and Brennen’s multidirectional drums. You wouldn’t guess Earth Ball was auto-composing and from what my rat brain can tell — the lyrics are improvised too… Improvising lyrics and singing them is the hardest thing to do in all of music… Izzy and Jer are pros. And their attitudes are pro too. The live show is scorched and without naming names they’ve been known to make headliners nervous. Lucky ones will get to see them live as they tour this beast of a record entitled It’s Yours and I hope I’m one of them. But now you, fan of fun but totally fucked up music, have the opportunity to Ball with them thanks to Upset The Rhythm. Enjoy.” –Alex Moskos, Montreal QC, Feb 2024. Limited 180g clear vinyl (500 copies worldwide). Matt finish sleeve with spot gloss detail, printed-inner sleeve, hand-painted art insert (by the band).