Handheld Return After 14 Year Hiatus, New Album Out June 14 On Thousand Islands Records

Canada-based skatepunk band Handheld is back after a 14-year hiatus with a new LP titled “A Canadian Tragedy”, due out June 14, Digi/LP/CD on Canada’s Thousand Islands Records.

The first single “Bend The Iron” is out today, with the music video dropping on March 31.

The track features Emilie Plamondon (Canadian radio/podcast host, Instagram influencer) and is about the Lac Megantic, QC rail tragedy of 2013.

Handheld formed in 1998 in Ontario, Canada. Fast punk rock, CHECK. Sing along melodies, CHECK. Single kick pedal, CHECK. For fans of Face To Face, Bad Religion, NOFX, and Millencolin. Handheld released 6 Albums/EPs from 1998-2008 and then took a 10 year hiatus. A few members went on to form Curbside. Handheld reformed with the same line-up +1 in 2018 with the goal of playing a few reunion shows. Cue the Pandemic and the inability to play live shows, so the band wrote and recorded a new album. Look for ‘A Canadian Tragedy’ in 2022 wherever you buy or stream your music.

Of the upcoming album, the band says, “Yes, Sorry we know we are friendly folk full of maple syrup and cheese curds. But Canada is not without its fair share of issues. A Canadian Tragedy is full of songs about love, irony, coverup, scandal, folklore and tradition all with a Canadian twist. 11 Fast melodic punk songs written with sing-along melodies and lyrics that make you go hmmm.”

In regards to the first single “Bend The Iron,” the band explains, “You’ve heard the story, bare minimum safety protocols, inadequate staffing, and corporate oversight leads to tragedy. Bend the iron tells the true tale of how the lack of attention caused one of the worst rail disasters in Canadian history, claiming the lives of over 45 residents and destroying a picturesque lake-side town in Quebec.”