With Monday well and truly underway, and the weekend a distant memory, it is fair to say a pick-me-up is needed. And, we couldn’t think of a better track to liven up your day than Little Destroyer’s new track, “Love and Anarchy”.

Following on from their last single, “Hitman”, the alt-rock band have returned with full force, bringing with them saturated drums and dazzling synths. The track is accompanied by a leather-filled music video, something that masterfully reflects the trio’s glitch-rock aesthetic.

A powerhouse in her own right, frontwoman Allie Sheldan brings as much energy to the room as humanly possible, captivating those who listen. With her engaging vocals drifting seamlessly throughout to the track’s close, the Canadian three-piece unapologetically celebrates unconditional love, feminism, and empowerment – the perfect combination, right?

When speaking on the new cut and what inspired it, Allie divulges, “I think love as a liberator is a radical idea because so much of our learned behaviour around love is to be possessive, scared, insecure. As somebody who has always had a complicated relationship with relationships, it took crashing headfirst into rock bottom before I did the work to learn how to love unconditionally. This song is a thank you to, and celebration of, the people, and person, who helped me get there, and still be here.”

Scroll below to listen to the track and read our interview with the band…

Let’s start at the beginning, could you tell us a little bit about your origins as a band? How did the three of you come together and how did each of you start in the music industry?
Allie: We’ve all been playing since we were kids. I wrote my first song at eight, titled kind of hilariously and kind of alarmingly, “in the evergreen forest of despair”, and started my first punk band at 13. Chris and Michael were enlisted as the prodigious teen rhythm section in a touring band that took them out of high school and all over the country but eventually left them sleeping and living in their van.

Chris: In terms of how we came together as a band – Allie had a solo project called “CIGARETTE LEGS” and was headed to play one of the best music festivals in Canada called Sled Island; Michael and I wanted wristbands to the festival so two weeks out she added our names to her tech rider as the ‘band’, which meant we had to learn some songs quickly. A funny moment that worked out pretty well. We got the wristbands and have been playing together ever since.

A: As I mentioned, I started my first band in the summer between grade 8 and 9, in my friend Brit’s garage. We found other members by placing ads in the classified section of the local newspaper and our punk band Rio Bent was born. Eventually, my brother Kurtis joined and we played together for 10 years! I had been playing bass and writing ‘songs’ since I was around 8 and I’d say my future was sealed in stone around that age thanks impart to Green Day, No Doubt, Blur, TLC & The Distillers.

C: I started in grade 8 with bass and guitar in music class. I loved it right away. Our high school had such a great music program. Immediately I started joining bands and as we got better we started playing shows in the neighbouring towns. I remember being 16 and playing my first bar show. I was underage and wore two hoodies to trick the owners into thinking I was old enough to be in there. It ended in a bar clearing brawl. I was hooked.

The music you create is really powerful, strong and really direct. What do you enjoy the most about your genre and why do you love putting together such powerful tracks and shows?
Michael: Joe Strummer said it best, “let fury have the hour, anger can be power, do you know that you can use it?” Expressing emotions is an indispensable human experience and it is a powerful and ascendant experience to get on stage and share that with an audience.

What was the process behind your latest track, named “Love and Anarchy”?
A: I started writing this song a couple of years ago, during a pretty shit time in my life. There were a few people in particular who absolutely saved me from ending things and this song is a love letter to them. I have so many voice memos on my phone of different versions of this song, it definitely was a slow evolution to come into its final form. And, a lot of the final magic was added in the studio once Michael and Chris could add in their ideas. Also, Howard Redekopp, our producer, was an essential part of making this song so great.

I believe this new song talks about unconditional love. Why did you decide to choose this topic and what story does it talk about?
A: Love as a liberator is a radical idea because so much of our learned behaviour around love is to be possessive, scared, and insecure. There’s a big difference between unconditional and conditional and loving unconditionally is very hardcore. As somebody who’s always had a really complicated relationship with relationships, it took crashing headfirst into rock bottom before I did the work to learn how to give and receive love like that. I really wanted this song to be a thank you and celebration to the people who helped me get there, and still be here.

What type of feelings or message do you want to relay through your music? What’s the main aim of your music?
A: Power. Of self and empowering your communities. And, love.

The music video also has some references to other iconic bands. Talk us through the creation of the music video and the experience you had with it.
A: What better way to capture the feeling of a song about the chaos and beauty of love than to have a bunch of your best friends and family go crazy around you while you serenade them? It was so special. Even my six-year-old niece was there dressed up in a cat costume. Look for her in the video! And the incredibly talented Wayne Moreheart took our idea of mashing up an Undertones and Ramones video and created one of our favourite videos to date. Watch it, shotgun a beer and tell someone you love them.

What inspires you most when creating new music?
A: I get inspired by seeing amazing artists like Lavender Country do what they do. Their self-titled 1973 album was the first known gay-themed album in country music history. Being in the audience feeling galvanized by the wisdom, politics, joy, power and love, singer and guitarist Patrick Haggerty shares, that really gets me excited to create.

As rising artists in the music industry, how do you feel about the future? What goals and ambitions do you have career-wise?
A: I got into a bad accident last year that left me with a head injury and a long recovery, so I’m just grateful every day that I am still able to play and create music, and I am doing it with two of my best friends. It’s not something I take for granted. I’m grateful that my bandmates, friends, and family are healthy and happy. Honestly, I know it sounds cheesy, but it all feels like a gift. So, I hope down the road I have the same things. I will add though, we’d love to have a lot more music to share and to tour, tour, tour!