Photo Credit: Trevor Lang

Montréal art-rock outfit Pastel Blank return with a decisive new chapter—announcing their signing to Paper Bag Records and unveiling their debut LP Unmade in Minutes, arriving April 24.

Alongside the announcement, the band—led by songwriter Angus Watt—share the project’s lead single and video, “Shareholder,” a jittery, funk-laced critique of corporate power that dances as much as it dissects.

A “Warped Fun House” Return

“Shareholder” marks Pastel Blank’s first release since their 2022 self-titled project, and it lands squarely in their signature lane: angular guitars, off-kilter rhythms, and lyrics that cut through with dry, satirical precision.

Drawing comparisons to the nervous funk of Talking Heads and the slacker-art ethos of Pavement, the track balances tension and play—equal parts groove and critique.

What begins as a tongue-in-cheek concept quickly expands into something sharper. As Watt explains, the song evolved from a demo titled “Physician,” originally centered on a cartoonish, pill-pushing doctor.

“It felt a bit reductive of the larger issue,” Watt notes. “The sentiment still holds—we vote with our dollar. It’s worth knowing where your money goes, even if the truth is depressing as hell.”

Rather than flattening the subject, “Shareholder” reframes it—shifting the lens from individual villainy to systemic accountability, while implicating the listener in the process.

Sound Design Meets Controlled Chaos

The track’s sonic palette reflects that same layered approach. Producer and collaborator Brennan Doyle (aka Your Friend Brennan / YFBOB) injects an expansive, sample-driven texture into the mix, while percussionist Hanum Yoon-Henderson adds a striking rhythmic backbone—most notably an explosive woodblock sequence in the chorus.

The result is a track that feels deliberately unstable: a controlled collision of post-punk tension and danceable funk, engineered to keep the listener slightly off-balance.

Visual World-Building Continues

The accompanying video extends the band’s aesthetic universe—collaborating with directors Patrick Macht, Micah Henry, and Bray Jorstad, who previously worked on “Dopamine” and “Sweet Nic.”

Described by the band as “incredibly fun,” the visual leans into the same warped, satirical tone—blurring absurdity with commentary, and reinforcing Pastel Blank’s ability to build cohesive worlds across sound and image.

A Band Carving Its Own Lane

Pastel Blank have steadily built a reputation as one of Canada’s most compelling genre-bending acts—pulling from indie rock, new wave, psychedelia, and art-rock without settling into any single category.

Critics have pointed to familiar touchstones, but as outlets like American Pancake have noted, those comparisons ultimately fall short. The band’s strength lies in their ability to distort influence into something distinctly their own.

Thinking While Dancing

With Unmade in Minutes on the horizon, “Shareholder” sets the tone for what’s to come: music that doesn’t just soundtrack a moment, but interrogates it.

It’s sharp without being didactic, playful without losing its edge.

And most importantly, it proves that Pastel Blank are operating in a space where you can move your body and question the system—at the same time.

“Shareholder” is out now.
Unmade in Minutes arrives April 24 via Paper Bag Records.