Megative: No Fear
This New York City-based collective with a strong Canadian component releases an eponymous debut on July 27. This advance single features on-point toasting, a strong dub groove, and an infectious vibe.
By Kerry Doole
Megative - "No Fear" (Last Gang): Megative is a New York City-based collective with a strong Canadian component in the form of vocalist Tim Fletcher (The Stills), and producer/bassist Gus Van Go (Arkells, Whitehorse, Terra Lightfoot). They are joined by production/writing team Likeminds and dancehall reggae veteran, Screechy Dan.
The Megative mandate is to revive the potent sound of UK post-punk and reggae, as pioneered by the likes of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite. In a label press release, Van Go explains that "there’s a lot of great music out there, but what we missed was the bass-heavy grooves and delay-soaked effects of ’70’s reggae and dub, along with the biting wit of the early UK punk scene. The mission is clear. We aim to inject American mainstream culture with the idea that these sounds can be dark, ominous, and also lyrically relevant and challenging.”
The group's keenly-awaited self-titled debut album comes out on July 27, and this new single is an appealing teaser. The toasting of guest Metric Man is on point, the groove is suitably deep, and there's an infectious summery vibe to the cut.
Megative recently played the Festival D'été de Quebec and Hillside fests, and begin club shows in the US and Canada on Sept. 25 in Chicago. They play Rum Runners in London, ON (Sept. 27), Longboat Hall in Toronto (Sept. 28), and Mills Hardware in Hamilton (Sept. 29)
Links
Publicity: Indoor Recess
Aya NakamuraMarion Gomez/Billboard France