Canuck Spotlight: AAWKS

Happy 4/20, everybody! What better way to celebrate than to present a new feature here on the Harbinger of D.O.O.M. blog. Welcome to the Canuck Spotlight, a showcase for up-and-coming Canadian bands and artists. As a proud Canadian, it’s my pleasure to help shine a light on some amazing, hard-working bands and spread the word about their music. The Canuck Spotlight will pop up from time to time on the blog without warning, so be on the lookout for it!

The first band to be featured is a Barrie, Ontario quartet that go by the name AAWKS. Formed in 2019 and comprised of Kris Dzierzbicki on guitar/vocals, Roberto Paraíso on guitar, Randylin Babic on drums, and the latest addition on bass, Dan Trickett, they deliver a fresh blend of fuzzy, spaced-out stoner rock. They draw influence from classic bands such as Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, but also from more modern purveyors of stoner music like Monolord and Windhand.

AAWKS released their first EP titled All Is Fine/Summer Haze in 2020 and on June 10^th, their first LP, Heavy on the Cosmic, will see the light of day on the Black Throne Productions label. The first single off that album, “Space City”, came out in February and was a blast. Their second single, “The Electric Traveller”, comes out this Friday, April 22^nd. While the first single got my attention, I’m all in with this one! “The Electric Traveller” is a super fuzzy track loaded with spacey atmosphere and distortion. Be warned: this song is an earworm and will leave you humming it all day.

So, give AAWKS a spin, you’re gonna have a good time. If you wanna catch them in concert, they’ll be touring Ontario throughout the rest of 2022. I’ll have a conversation with the band sometime in May as well as a review of their Heavy on the Cosmic album prior to release, so keep an eye out for that.

AAWKS on Bandcamp: https://aawks.bandcamp.com/

AAWKS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aawks666