Portland, Oregon's loudest pop group, the Toads, started 2018 with a two week tour of the West Coast from which they returned stronger than ever, greeted by the news that Portland-via-Vienna producer and tour manager Dominik Schmidt wanted to produce their next album. 

 

Despite their legendary appetite for live shows--the group averaged nearly 30 hometown performances a year--the Toads decided to withdraw from the stage in Fall 2018 and focus on preparing for their album with Schmidt. Tracked and mixed with engineer Sacha Müller throughout the first half of 2019 and mastered by Kris Crummett in 2020, the twelve song album, simply titled The Toads, serves as a greatest hits for longtime Toads fans and an ideal introduction for newcomers to their brand of catchy, humor-infused power pop, recalling 90's mainstays like Weezer, Green Day, Blink-182, Superdrag, and Guided by Voices. From the sardonic ode to an adopted hometown "Portland, OR" to the slacker anthem "I'm Sorry" to the dreamy yearning of "Alien Gene" and the madcap pop experimentalism of "Toadspiracy", this collection of songs refuses to be pigeon-holed, occupying an ever-shifting rock and roll universe all its own. 

 

The band had originally intended to release The Toads in 2020, but the pandemic put those plans on hold. A digital release is slated for early autumn 2021, with co-frontmen and primary songwriters Matt K and Matt D dusting off their guitars and appearing live for the first time in two years to celebrate. Yes friends, it's official: as a great man once said, the boys are back in town. 

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PRAISE FOR THE TOADS:

 

"Nineties rock revivalism tends to tilt toward the grungy end of things, which is understandable—Hole was awesome, and Nirvana shirts still look great. But Portland band the Toads... is bold enough to summon the spirits of less-revered deities like Gin Blossoms and Matthew Sweet, artists who wrote great songs but were untethered to trends or scenes. They were very good, and so are the Toads, who merge classic power-pop and ‘80s college rock so skillfully it makes one long for the days when movies were mere pretexts for Proclaimers songs." --Willamette Week, 7/19/2017

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"Time still operates the same pop-punk plane The Toads usually skirt on, but with a slight twist. It's not just delightfully punky tunes anymore, but also an incorporation of more of a 90's alternative feel to the tracks. At times, Time even touches on a Beatles-esque '60s pop quality, like on the track 'Alien Gene.'" --The Deli Portland, 8/18/2017

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"The album kicks off with killer riffs that show off Matt Kane’s tasty guitar wizardry and closes with an anthem of positive vibes, Keep On Keepin’ On. This country-pop-rock album pretty much captures the essence of Portland Summer 2017 and begs the question that so many people are asking “why aren’t these guys huge yet?” Thanks guys! Keep on keepin’ on! You are making people happy!" --Portland Notes, 8/3/2017

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OTHER LINKS:

 

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