Toronto’s psych-punk chaos merchants Wine Lips are serving up a fifth full-length, and this one’s a doozy. ‘TV Dinner’ out now on Stomp Records, and it’s the band’s sharpest, funniest, most “yeah, that’s literally my life” record yet. Think The Hives, Osees, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, and Bad Nerves all crammed into a van with peak-era Nirvana blasting from the speakers — that’s the energy here. Wine Lips haven’t ditched their signature blend of garage punk, blown-out psychedelia, and fuzzed-past-the-redline rock and roll. They’ve just aimed it somewhere new: instead of escapism, they’re digging into the beautiful absurdity of everyday existence. Thirty-five minutes of loud, hooky, chaotic catharsis for loud, chaotic times.
A Decade of DIY Grit Pays Off
Wine Lips have spent the last ten years quietly becoming one of Canada’s most successful independent rock exports — over 50 million Spotify streams, a nod from Iggy Pop on BBC Radio, syncs in film, TV, and video games, and relentless touring across North America, Europe, the UK, Hong Kong, and China. They’ve shared stages with Frankie and the Witch Fingers and Death From Above 1979, building their name the only way that actually works: one sweaty, unforgettable show at a time.
Thirteen Songs, One Very 2026 Fever Dream
On paper, ‘TV Dinner’ is thirteen adrenaline-soaked rock songs. In practice, it’s a snapshot of what it feels like to be alive right now — everyone selling a shortcut, everyone suddenly an expert, your phone buzzing nonstop, rent climbing, the apartment shrinking while the grocery bill grows. Frontman Cam Hilborn found these songs hiding in the doomscroll, the dead-end job, another trip to the doctor, another microwaved dinner for one.
Cut It tears into addiction in all its forms — nicotine, shopping sprees, the endless chase for the next dopamine hit. Trip to the Doctor skewers wellness culture, conspiracy theories, and miracle cures, poking fun at the impossible task of figuring out what to believe anymore. Thirst Trap captures full algorithm brain rot, where bots call the shots and it’s suddenly noon because you’ve been doomscrolling since breakfast. Semi Detached Furnished Home might be the most Canadian song Wine Lips have ever written — impossible rent, endless condos, and the fantasy of owning a modest home, transformed into a snarling garage rock anthem.
The quieter moments hit just as hard. If You Don’t Know wrestles with getting older and realizing the world doesn’t wait for you to catch up, while Strip Club DJ is one of the record’s funniest, finding weird poetry between $11 beers, lunch buffets, TV dinners in the microwave, and convincing yourself you’re living the dream.
Rough Edges, Real Life
Recorded once again with longtime collaborator Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack in London, Ontario, ‘TV Dinner’ is Wine Lips trusting instinct over polish. Mistakes stayed. Happy accidents stayed. Strange noises stayed. Aurora Evans steps forward with lead vocals on Projector, and after years of crisscrossing continents in vans and club stages, the whole band sounds tighter than ever — not cleaner, just more comfortable leaving a few dents in the paint.
For all its satire, ‘TV Dinner’ never loses its heart. These aren’t songs mocking modern life from a safe distance — they’re written from deep inside it, by people trying to make sense of the same notifications, rising costs, and low-grade anxiety as the rest of us. Wine Lips don’t offer easy answers. They just turn the volume up until the noise starts sounding like release. Some records ask you to escape reality. ‘TV Dinner’ dares you to laugh at it.
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Wine Lips On Tour
Supporting Death From Above 1979
Oct. 13 – Detroit, MI – Lager House
Oct. 15 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Oct. 16 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live
Oct. 17 – Houston, TX – Dan Electro’s
Oct. 19 – Austin, TX – 29th Street Ballroom
Oct. 20 – Marfa, TX – Larry’s
Oct. 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
Oct. 23 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
Oct. 24 – Las Vegas, NV – Swan Dive
Oct. 26 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
Oct. 27 – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley
Oct. 29 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
Oct. 30 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
Oct. 31 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
Nov. 2 – Calgary, AB – Palace Theatre
Nov. 3 – Edmonton, AB – Midway Music Hall
Nov. 5 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre
Nov. 6 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
Nov. 7 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
Nov. 8 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Nov. 25 – Waterloo, ON – Maxwell’s
Nov. 26 – London, ON – London Music Hall
Nov. 27 – Toronto, ON – History
Nov. 28 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
Nov. 30 – Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield
Dec. 1 – Québec City, QC – Imperial Bell
Dec. 3 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
Dec. 4 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
Dec. 5 – Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
Dec. 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall
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