Photo by John Wilson

PUMMELED is the debut full-length by Stegosaurus of Saint John, New Brunswick.

Following two EP’s since the trio’s formation in 2013, PUMMELED is a largely self-recorded effort that densely packs ten tracks with enough breathing room to manuever their eclectic songwriting. With the latest release, Stegosaurus carries a sound that dances within fuzzy melodies and hooks, but sports a set of teeth cut prominently on jagged noise rock.

But the sweet spot found on these ten tracks is best enjoyed without the expectation of sub-genre nitpicking — the ten tracks transfer less like a collection of songs, and more like one solid boom that hovers indiscriminately over genre borders and lines.

PUMMELED is currently available for digital purchase, and will be available on cassette and CD formats in July.

In a recent exchange with Stegosaurus guitarist/vocalist Stuart Buckley, we got into the recording process of PUMMELED, Stegosaurus summer schedule, Sharktooth Records, and a brief guide to your “essentials to the scene” for Saint John, NB.

Photo by Will Sinclair

Tell us how Stegosaurus began and how long you three have been playing together.

Stegosaurus started pretty much right after I dropped out of university in 2013. I got together with a couple of old pals (Colin Ratchford, Seth O’Neill) and we spent about 8 months writing and demoing songs before playing our first show in January of 2014. We’ve had quite a few lineup changes in the past year, but we’ve had a steady lineup since November featuring my two buddies Levi Ellingwood and Pat Bonner.

Your new full length debut just dropped and it appears to be completely self-recorded and largely self-produced, with the credited addition of Michael Melanson and Gavin Downes at your side for the album’s mixing.

Can you talk us through the recording process for the album?

Yeah, we recorded all of the bed tracks on a weekend in January at our practice spot, using whatever gear we could scrounge together. I laid down most of the guitars by myself whenever I could find the time and I did most of the vocals with my pal Michael at my side givin’ me the thumbs up or down. In May, Gavin and I sat down and worked with the record and added little textural guitar parts or backing vocals or whatever until we ended up with what is now the album.

What do you feel is the importance of having a self-production presence on PUMMELED – how does it benefit the delivery of these songs?

I think the DIY sound of the recordings keeps it all pretty honest. There isn’t much polish to it, it’s a raw sounding record and its by design. PUMMELED is about being a beaten down, sad, broke dude and its hard to communicate that with a glitzy, pristine recording…. not that I could afford that anyways haha.

How do you feel Stegosaurus sound and songwriting has developed since your two previous EP’s?

I think it has gotten more defined and confident overall. This is the first thing I’ve ever done where I feel like every word is what I wanted to say and every note is what I wanted to play. I really challenged myself to make sure that all of the lyrics were honest and to the point. I wanted to give the listener a chance to relate, to not be too esoteric or whatever.

What is Sharktooth Records, the label behind PUMMELED?

Sharktooth Records is a thing I started a while back with the purpose of archiving all of the shit my friends and I were making. We’ve been a largely digital label but when I can find the funds, we put out tapes every now and again. Sharktooth has been pretty well received here in Saint John which is cool, and I’m hoping to bring it up a notch this year and make it more legitimate.

Hailing from Saint John, New Brunswick – fill us in on your current favourite Saint John bands, something the rest of Atlantic Canada should be sure to check out.

Ah, it’s impossible to choose just one. For a small city, we really do punch above our weight class. I’ll give y’all a few essentials to the scene:

Little You Little Me: watch this live video, these guys are sooo tight.

Learning: these guys put out this record a year and a half ago when they were 16 and its still one of my favs.

NVN: recording this record was the most fun I’ve ever had recording. Sadie writes the dopest songs.

What is the summer plan look like for Stegosaurus?

Stegosaurus’ Summer To-Do List:
– Write/Record an EP
– Play too many shows in Saint John
– Do a lil’ August tour featuring Moncton, Halifax, Fredericton and hopefully Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto — hit me up if you or a friend can help make those last three happen
– Find girlfriends

Check out PUMMELED on the Sharktooth Records bandcamp
Check out Stegosaurus on Facebook