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The Muffs

THE MUFFS at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West), Saturday (March 28), 9 pm. $20. ticketfly.com


The Muffs are nearing their 25th anniversary. But considering the 10-year gap that preceded last year’s Whoop Dee Doo album, the California garage-pop band’s reappearance feels more like a reunion than a smooth continuation of a long career.

“The big break wasn’t supposed to be such a big break but… well, you know,” singer/guitarist Kim Shattuck explains from her Los Angeles home.

Shattuck wasn’t exactly twiddling her thumbs during the downtime. She went back to school, rekindled an interest in photography and bought a house. When it came time to start recording again, the three-piece with bassist Ronnie Barnett and drummer Roy McDonald decided to take a different approach: do it completely on their own without a label breathing down their necks.

“We wanted to have a full album – mixed, mastered and in our hands – before we even attempted to get a label, because I do not want to feel like I owe anyone money.”

They signed with Burger Records, but the release date got bumped back when alt rock legends the Pixies hired Shattuck to replace Kim Deal. However, she was unexpectedly fired by their manager over the phone after only a few months of touring. That confusing experience provided the title of Whoop Dee Doo, a reference to a Black Francis’s comments to NME dismissing questions about the lineup change.

While Shattuck is fairly upbeat now about how things worked out, she still doesn’t know why she was kicked out.

“The answers have all been purposefully vague, but I’m going to use my instinct and say that they didn’t like my stage show. I think they needed a shy person to be onstage with them. Not a gregarious, obnoxious person like me.”

She’s been channelling her frustrations into songwriting, so don’t be surprised if there’s an angry undercurrent on the next Muffs record.

“It’s definitely a healthier way to get things out of my system than killing people or beating them up.” 3

benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles

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