cootie catcher – Straight drop
Toronto’s cootie catcher built a reputation on sweet, nervous indie pop that balanced vulnerability with playful electronics. “Straight Drop” shows them getting bolder. The new single from their upcoming album Something We All Got hits harder than anything on this year’s Shy at First, driven by drummer Joseph Shemoun’s confident rhythms that build into full stomps during the choruses.
Vocalist and bassist Anita Fowl wrote the song about a familiar contradiction: crying easily in front of strangers on the bus but freezing up around people she’s close to. That tension between public openness and private guardedness runs through the track’s energy. The band locks into driving guitars and scattered drums, creating noisy pop-rock that feels more immediate than their earlier work. They’re still using quirky harmonies and blippy synths, but the jangly guitars push everything forward with urgency.
“Something We All Got” arrives February 27 via Carpark Records and marks the band’s first real studio recording after years of basement tracks. The album was engineered by Nolan Jakupovski at home and Jerzy Basement, with drums and vocals recorded at Threshold Studios in Hamilton by Trevor Cooke. Nate Amos mixed it, Josh Boguski mastered it at Studio Parc. The production keeps sharp edges while adding fun, personally-sourced samples throughout.
Tracklist:
- Loiter for the love of it
- Lyfestyle
- Straight drop
- From here to Halifax
- No biggie
- Rhymes with rest
- Quarter note rock
- Take me for granted
- Wrong choice
- Gingham dress
- Puzzle pop
- Stick figure
- Going places
- Pirouette
Tour Dates:
North America
- January 10 – Toronto, ON – The Garrison (Exclaim! Class of 2026) with Mad Iris, EVILIN, White Rabbit
- March 4 – Montreal, QC – Sotterenea with Frownline, Fireball Kid
- March 5 – Albany, NY – A.I.R. with Bruiser and Bicycle
- March 6 – New York, NY – The New Colossus Festival
- March 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Hidden Fortress with Fib
- March 8 – Washington, DC – Pie Shop with Aunt Katrina
- March 10 – Durham, NC – Pinhook with Edna Mode, Charlie Paso
- March 11 – Asheville, NC – Static Age with trust blinks
- March 15 – Hot Springs, AR – Valley of the Vapors
- March 19 – Denton, TX – Rubber Room with Paper Jam, Palefire
- March 20 – Oklahoma City, OK – Bookish with Powdr, Lust Online
- March 21 – St Louis, MO – CBGB
- March 22 – Cincinnati, IN – Lambda Research with Artificial Go, Spoils
- March 23 – Chicago, IL – The Hideout
- March 24 – Detroit, MI – Lager House with Dryfruit, Bonnie Hook
- March 29 – Toronto, ON – Garrison with Good Flying Birds, Touch Girl Apple Blossom
