NEWS: HANDHELD launch new album by honouring the late JOHN CANDY with “Leaving Candyland”

5th June 2022 admin

Ontario, Canada’s skaterpunk band Handheld honour the late JOHN CANDY with a new video “Leaving Candyland” which is a loving homage to Candy’s greatest characters, including “Barf” from Spaceballs, “Gus” from Home Alone, “Chet” from The Great Outdoors, “Del” from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, “Yosh” of The Schmengie Brothers (SCTV) and Uncle Buck

The single is not only a beautiful tribute to John Candy but marks the launch of their first album in 14 Years. The new album ‘A Canadian Tragedy’ is out 14th June on Thousand Islands Records with 11 tracks worth of songs about love, irony, coverup, scandal, folklore and tradition all with a Canadian twist.

Stream “Leaving Candyland”.

Of the video, the band says, “We wanted to pay tribute to the great human that was John Candy and honour his life in a unique way. We picked 6 of our all time favourite John Candy roles which included: Barf from Spaceballs, Gus from Home Alone, Chet from The Great Outdoors, Del from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Yosh of The Schmengie Brothers (SCTV) and Uncle Buck from you guessed it… Uncle Buck. Then for each character we shot an homage to our favourite scenes, sprinkled in some punk rock flavorings and what you get is one hell of a good time. This video is definitely big in Sheboygan.”

Handheld’s upcoming album “A Canadian Tragedy” (out June 14 on Thousand Islands Records) marks the band’s return after a 14-year hiatus. Pre-order the vinyl/CD now.

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.

TrackList

Double Double DUI – 3:16
Leaving Candyland – 2:40
On the Fly – 2:23
Flip the Scrip – 2:20
School is in Session – 2:19
Bend the Iron – 1:58
Group of Six – 2:20
Somewhere Over Kentucky – 2:37
The Log Driver’s Waltz – 2:41
Life of a Hitman – 2:42
Coming Home – 4:20

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.”