Formerly Montreal-based fuzz rocker Gus Englehorn is kicking off 2025 with a Taverne Tour performance at L'Escogriffe, where he'll play new tunes from his forthcoming album The Hornbook, out January 31 through Secret City Records.
He's further previewing the effort today with a new single titled "Metal Detector," which includes a spoken-word interlude from Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary, who also mixed the record. "This one is pretty dada," Englehorn explained of the track, "but I imagine someone trying to play metal in their garage and one of their neighbours busting in the door and unplugging the amps."
In addition to mixing from Leary, The Hornbook was co-produced by Mark Lawson, and includes soundscaping from the Unicorns drummer Jamie Thompson, as well as contributions from Englehorn's partner in music and life, Estée Preda.
"When I was writing these songs, it felt like I was making a children's book — every song was a little story," Englehorn shared of the title concept. "But it also felt like a little bit of a cipher for our whole world."
Hear "Metal Detector" below.