Toronto Punk Act The Flatliners Return With New Video “Performative Hours”; Announce Upcoming Album ‘New Ruin’

JUNO-nominated Toronto punk outfit The Flatliners have officially announced that their sixth studio album New Ruin will be released on August 5, 2022 through Dine Alone Records in Canada. Alongside the album announcement, the influential four-piece, who are celebrating 20 years of making music together this year, share the infectious, thought-provoking lead single and video “Performative Hours”.

On the meaning behind their latest single, vocalist/guitarist Chris Cresswell had this to say, “There’s a desperation that’s run rampant within us as people, and it’s the need to be validated. A shadow of what’s really real, a version of the truth, a performance at all hours.As the world around us grows more mechanically able to connect, us as people will abuse that power to simply brag or complain, feverishly attempting to create a moment instead of just enjoying one. It feels as though we’ve found ourselves in an age of insincerity, with people putting in the hours for nothing more than upholding an image. Time now ticks in performative hours.”

The first offering from New Ruin arrives with a satirical video conceptualized by the band and directed by Mitch Barnes. The well-crafted visuals for “Performative Hours”, which are rife with social commentary, perfectly compliment the song’s observational lyrics. The video centers around the complicated protagonist Ron Regal, who is described by the band as, “Mr. hanging-on-by-a-thread himself, Ron Regal, the most tumultuous host working in television today”. Played by Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, “Ron is trying his absolute best while doing his undoubtedly worst,” shares Cresswell. “Enjoy the white-knuckle ride while each guest on the telecast catastrophe known as ‘The Performative Hour’ wonders how the hell they got there and what on earth will happen next.”

Watch it below: