Biography
Blending surf, garage rock, punk, and indie pop touches, Vancouver outfit Tough Age label their output "culmination rock," uniting four veterans of the Canadian underground who merge their separate histories and tastes into a single project. Their wiry, energetic foundation first locked in on the 2015 release I Get the Feeling Central, grew more streamlined on the guitar-driven 2017 album Shame, and shifted toward college-rock jangle on 2023’s Waiting Here.
Jarrett K. (also known as Jarrett Samson), formerly of Apollo Ghosts and Role Mach, launched the group in 2012 after his surf-leaning band Korean Gut dissolved. He enlisted drummer Chris Martell—previously of Sightlines and Collapsing Opposites and already acquainted with Jarrett—to form the new unit; Penny “Agamemnon” Clark joined on guitar and backing vocals while Lauren Smith took the bass slot. The resulting hook-laden yet tough sound, paired with Jarrett’s anxious yet reflective lyrics, quickly built their profile in Canada’s indie scene. Mint Records signed them, and Jay Arner produced the self-titled debut, issued in November 2013.
For Record Store Day in April 2015 the band issued a six-song tribute covering every track from Cub’s 1993 EP Hot Dog Day. Later that year they tracked their second album, I Get the Feeling Central, at Little Red Sounds Studio with producer Felix Fung; Mint released it on June 23, 2015. Over the following two years Samson and Clark relocated to Toronto, reconfiguring the band as a trio with drummer Jesse Locke. This lineup pursued Flying Nun-inspired indie pop for the third album, Shame, which Mint issued in October 2017. The 2020 LP Which Way Am I? retained Shame’s indie-pop direction yet adopted a more forceful, physical approach; Towanda’s Claire Paquet added guitar and flute. After that release the group returned to Vancouver and began work on their fifth album. Ten years into their career, Tough Age moved further from their early bristly punk style, embracing the jangly guitars and anhedonic melodies of foundational indie-rock acts such as the Feelies, Yo La Tengo, and Guided by Voices. Those bright, sentimental influences dominate Waiting Here, released in June 2023.
Jarrett K. (also known as Jarrett Samson), formerly of Apollo Ghosts and Role Mach, launched the group in 2012 after his surf-leaning band Korean Gut dissolved. He enlisted drummer Chris Martell—previously of Sightlines and Collapsing Opposites and already acquainted with Jarrett—to form the new unit; Penny “Agamemnon” Clark joined on guitar and backing vocals while Lauren Smith took the bass slot. The resulting hook-laden yet tough sound, paired with Jarrett’s anxious yet reflective lyrics, quickly built their profile in Canada’s indie scene. Mint Records signed them, and Jay Arner produced the self-titled debut, issued in November 2013.
For Record Store Day in April 2015 the band issued a six-song tribute covering every track from Cub’s 1993 EP Hot Dog Day. Later that year they tracked their second album, I Get the Feeling Central, at Little Red Sounds Studio with producer Felix Fung; Mint released it on June 23, 2015. Over the following two years Samson and Clark relocated to Toronto, reconfiguring the band as a trio with drummer Jesse Locke. This lineup pursued Flying Nun-inspired indie pop for the third album, Shame, which Mint issued in October 2017. The 2020 LP Which Way Am I? retained Shame’s indie-pop direction yet adopted a more forceful, physical approach; Towanda’s Claire Paquet added guitar and flute. After that release the group returned to Vancouver and began work on their fifth album. Ten years into their career, Tough Age moved further from their early bristly punk style, embracing the jangly guitars and anhedonic melodies of foundational indie-rock acts such as the Feelies, Yo La Tengo, and Guided by Voices. Those bright, sentimental influences dominate Waiting Here, released in June 2023.
Albums
Waiting Here
2023
Penny Current Suppression Ring
2020
My Life's a Joke & I'm Throwing It Away
2020
Shame
2017
Unclean
2017
Plays Cub's Hot Dog Day
2015
Singles
