Real Sickies Release New Album 'Under A Plastic Bag'

Edmonton's pop-punk powerhouse Real Sickies return with their fifth full-length album, Under a Plastic Bag, available now through Stomp Records. Known for their relentless touring and infectious melodies, the band channels the spirit of punk's golden age with a fresh and approachable modern twist. Even Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day has hailed Real Sickies as his favorite Canadian punk band, cementing their status as a standout act in the global punk scene.

The album's focus track, "Wild Imagination," comes with an accompanying video created by Jesse Nash and a backstory as unique as its sound. Ben explains, "The song sounds dirty, but it's all about fossils. I got really into fossil hunting, especially petrified wood, and spent days walking through a creek in Edmonton, soaking my feet and humming this tune. The lyrics came together in trickles. It's quirky, it's personal, and it's very much a part of the journey this album represents."

Described as "the Teenage Bottlerocket of the Great White North" by The Punk Site, Real Sickies fuse the raw power of Ramones-core with melodic hooks that could just as easily resonate in packed punk venues as on alternative FM radio. Written between whirlwind international tours, late-night demo sessions, and chaotic live performances, Under a Plastic Bag is an album brimming with raw, high-energy anthems. Tracks like "Wild Imagination," "Should Have Seen It Coming," and "Triage" showcase the band's knack for crafting catchy choruses and sharp songwriting, blending the simplicity of the Ramones with the wild edge of Teenage Head, the melodic urgency of the Buzzcocks, the quirky, off-kilter energy of Devo, and the brooding intensity of The Sound.

The recording process for Under a Plastic Bag was as intense as the themes the album explores. Engineered and produced by Joshua Wells (Autogramm, Lightning Dust), the album was recorded in Edmonton's Riverdale Recorders during one of the city's coldest winters. "I was brought in specifically to bring more of the post punk weirdo sound to this record," said Wells of the sessions. "Josh flew in from Chicago and joined us in our Little Italy studio in Edmonton," recalls frontman Ben Disaster. "We hunkered down with coffee and sandwiches, sometimes only sleeping five hours a night. It felt right-it was positive, freeing, and creative. We had a lot of songs and big ideas, but everything came together in that short, freezing stretch of time." The studio itself became a character in the creative process. "We built a fort in the studio to keep warm, drank endless coffee, and powered through long nights," Ben shares. "The cold and isolation somehow fueled the energy of the recordings. It was a weirdly perfect environment to make a record about chaos, resilience, and piecing things back together." The result is an album that retains the band's signature energy while pushing into new sonic territory.

Real Sickies' reputation as a touring powerhouse is unmatched. Having shared stages with punk legends like Stiff Little Fingers, Marky Ramone, and PUP, they've taken their music across Canada, Europe, and the UK, performing at festivals and grassroots venues alike. "This album came together between shows that felt like they were booked by throwing a dart at a map blindfolded," Ben says. "We even played the full album live in Jasper before we knew how to play it-local punks loved it; management hated it."

At its core, Under a Plastic Bag captures the chaos and resilience of the band's journey. "It takes you through bike crashes, car crashes, environmental events, frustration, sobriety, and putting it all back together," says Ben. "We tried to make an album in a time when singles dominate, something cohesive and immersive." With standout tracks like "Wild Imagination," "Should Have Seen It Coming," and "Triage," and the creative energy behind its production, Under a Plastic Bag is poised to make an indelible mark on the pop-punk landscape. The album will be available in digital formats and as a limited-edition solid white and cloudy skies blue vinyl LPs-a must-have for fans of high-energy, hook-laden punk rock.