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The award for ‘Most Misleading Album Title of 2025’ has to go to Propagandhi’s ‘At Peace’. The activist Canadian hardcore heroes are still fighting the good fight against the forces of oppression after an eight year recording break, and the good news? They’ve lost none of their spark and intelligent, ranting thrash power over their time away. After thirty years as punk rock’s most eloquent hardcore soothsayers, Propagandhi have earned their title as firebrands many times over. Now older and wiser, the whole record feels like a balled fist, ready to slam into whoever stands in their way. Sure, they’re perhaps a little more jaded, if that’s even possible, but they’re poised to share a revitalised take on their sound.
The single drops serve as a bit of a primer for the new direction. ‘Cat Guy’, moves slowly with panther-like grace and a strong animal rights message, unflinching in it’s candour. “Which one of God’s pitiful creatures would you condemn?” Chris Hannah asks, “It’s time to come to terms with mankind’s default mode.” Compared to the quick fire attacks of an older hit like ‘Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes’, it’s incredibly slow. Title track ‘At Peace’ starts with a whispered warning and solos like barbed wire before we get into the blackest of punk humour and reflection, but most importantly it sums up the change in Propagandhi. “I am at peace, give or take a fit of blinding rage,” explains Hannah. They aren’t just flailing against the machine any more, they’re tougher and picking their battles.
The autobiographical, and explanatory, quality makes this record a love letter to their fans. ‘No Longer Young’, the band’s reasoning why we shouldn’t waste time to change the world, feels open and polished. Propagandhi shouldn’t feel the need to explain why they haven’t started the revolution yet, but they still do and we love them for that reassurance as well as the razor sharp guitar work. One of their more conventional songs, ‘Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date)’, skips them towards the metal end of their punk sound (and has to be one of the better songs about playing Dungeons and Dragons) without compromising on their DIY, bootstraps energy, but it’s their throwaway, conversational lines like ‘It wasn’t so bad as Tinder dates go’ that makes it such an appealing song.
The older, wiser take on politics fuels a more nuanced, guitar, driven sound. ‘Benito’s Earlier Work’, taking on our reactions to Mussolini, sounds like a song created by Bad Religion’s even-more-left-wing cousins and it’s a glorious, bass filled warning to fascist sympathisers. Even songs like ‘Vampires Are Real’, with it’s deceptively lightweight title, blister with punk energy and loaded metaphorical messages. ‘Fire Season’ scorches with killer drumbeats and dark menace, showing no restraint in the face of disaster, and the way they their hard-won skills shine to create stark landscapes on ‘Day By Day’ is as glorious as the message it shares is urgent.
Much like Batman coming to defend Gotham when its citizens need him the most, Propagandhi have re-emerged just as the news cycle grows bleaker. If they’ve shown us anything over the years, its that they can change with the times, whether it’s shifting deliberately away from a scene they felt was bigoted in the nineties or putting their money where their mouth in for activism. Now, they’ve returned, a necessary outsider voice to spread their truth. Politically charged and just as bold as the rest of their back catalogue, ‘At Peace’ is the next essential chapter in Propagandhi’s manifesto.
KATE ALLVEY
The single drops serve as a bit of a primer for the new direction. ‘Cat Guy’, moves slowly with panther-like grace and a strong animal rights message, unflinching in it’s candour. “Which one of God’s pitiful creatures would you condemn?” Chris Hannah asks, “It’s time to come to terms with mankind’s default mode.” Compared to the quick fire attacks of an older hit like ‘Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes’, it’s incredibly slow. Title track ‘At Peace’ starts with a whispered warning and solos like barbed wire before we get into the blackest of punk humour and reflection, but most importantly it sums up the change in Propagandhi. “I am at peace, give or take a fit of blinding rage,” explains Hannah. They aren’t just flailing against the machine any more, they’re tougher and picking their battles.
The autobiographical, and explanatory, quality makes this record a love letter to their fans. ‘No Longer Young’, the band’s reasoning why we shouldn’t waste time to change the world, feels open and polished. Propagandhi shouldn’t feel the need to explain why they haven’t started the revolution yet, but they still do and we love them for that reassurance as well as the razor sharp guitar work. One of their more conventional songs, ‘Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date)’, skips them towards the metal end of their punk sound (and has to be one of the better songs about playing Dungeons and Dragons) without compromising on their DIY, bootstraps energy, but it’s their throwaway, conversational lines like ‘It wasn’t so bad as Tinder dates go’ that makes it such an appealing song.
The older, wiser take on politics fuels a more nuanced, guitar, driven sound. ‘Benito’s Earlier Work’, taking on our reactions to Mussolini, sounds like a song created by Bad Religion’s even-more-left-wing cousins and it’s a glorious, bass filled warning to fascist sympathisers. Even songs like ‘Vampires Are Real’, with it’s deceptively lightweight title, blister with punk energy and loaded metaphorical messages. ‘Fire Season’ scorches with killer drumbeats and dark menace, showing no restraint in the face of disaster, and the way they their hard-won skills shine to create stark landscapes on ‘Day By Day’ is as glorious as the message it shares is urgent.
Much like Batman coming to defend Gotham when its citizens need him the most, Propagandhi have re-emerged just as the news cycle grows bleaker. If they’ve shown us anything over the years, its that they can change with the times, whether it’s shifting deliberately away from a scene they felt was bigoted in the nineties or putting their money where their mouth in for activism. Now, they’ve returned, a necessary outsider voice to spread their truth. Politically charged and just as bold as the rest of their back catalogue, ‘At Peace’ is the next essential chapter in Propagandhi’s manifesto.
KATE ALLVEY