The Letter Red began in Fredericton, New Brunswick, when two new fathers set out to reconnect with their roots through music.
Vocalist Phill Paxton and guitarist Josh Corriea both moved from Southern Ontario after their previous band, Rich Uncle Skeleton, ended. The project started with the two writing pop punk, but the sound shifted toward something heavier as the lineup expanded. “We started playing music together as just a couple of new dads looking to feel young again,” Paxton tells No Echo.
The current lineup features Paxton, Corriea, Max Brown on guitar, Steve Webster on bass, and Lee Smith on drums. The five-piece draws on chaotic metalcore influences like Every Time I Die, Norma Jean, The Chariot, and The Bled. Paxton has his own way of describing their sound.
“I often jokingly refer to our sound as ‘deep fried southern metalcore,’” he says. “It helps characterize that era of post-hardcore we're chasing.”
Of those influences, none looms larger than Every Time I Die. “The music, the aesthetic, and the musicians themselves,” Paxton says. “The first thing we ever jammed together as a band was a cover of ‘We’rewolf.’ Simply put, this band would not exist without Every Time I Die.”
The band's latest single, “Steam Powered Thought Removal,” was the first track written by the full lineup. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Ty of Coldlung, it gave the group an early sense that they had found their direction.
“It came together so naturally,” Paxton recalls. Lyrically, the song targets corporations that cut costs while raising prices, leaving consumers with less for more. “Our system is broken, and it needs to be reassessed,” he says, “and that's what this song is about.”
The Letter Red is part of a Fredericton music community that Paxton sees as active but divided. Plenty of musicians and bands exist, but the city's scenes often remain separate. Beneath the surface, Paxton points to a hardcore and metal scene that thrives in community centers, art spaces, and DIY shows.
“If anyone from Fredericton is reading about this and hasn't gone out to one of these shows, I strongly suggest you check them out,” Paxton says, before nodding to local acts Rhabdomyolysis, Antiphetimine, and Wayword Corpse for “keeping punk alive in the Celestial City.”
That local base is now pushing The Letter Red beyond Fredericton. The band has East Coast Canadian dates set for October and November, with stops in Quebec City, Moncton, Charlottetown, Saint John, and Bathurst.
More recorded material is also on the way. “We're sitting on an EP's worth of songs that we plan on dropping until we can't anymore,” Paxton says. “So between those two, we're in a bit of a rinse and repeat motion.”
Before wrapping up, Paxton credits more Maritime bands and friends.
“Shoutouts to Coldlung, Last Words, Knull, Dulse, and all the Harbour Hardcore folks,” he says, adding one final message: “Maritime Style—Andy Williams Forever—Go Bills!”
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