There are many reasons to love punk music: catharsis, distortion, fury, or being a kid and seeing the corollaries between a rotten system and not getting what you wanted. One of my personal reasons to still resonate with punk is efficiency. Get in, play some damn music, tell off someone powerful, get off the stage. It’s music created for engineers and for those on the run. Punk can change hearts and minds and in a couple minutes or less, which is awesome. That can break the gauge of self-seriousness, and that’s where Toy Tiger come in. Their brand of Oi! influenced street punk works because not only do they care an immense amount for their fellow humans; they want do have fun, and to do so in as economical a manner as possible. Meow Sabotage! (hell yeah, by the way) is a damn blast because it fires on all cylinders (claws?) from the start and never lets the listener go. Vocalist Finn “Bugsy” Faithfull shares how that works in practice:
“What unites us is more than just music. We all share a passion for working-class music and leftist values, and we enjoy the process of turning chaotic ideas into something powerful and cohesive. There’s a lot of trust in the room — I can bring in a messy song idea, and together we shape it into something that feels right. We rehearse a lot, but it’s not just about tightening the sound. We’re friends first, and that connection makes everything click. It’s why the music feels lived-in, even though we haven’t been together that long.”
The goal of this record was to say as much as possible with as little as possible,” Faithfull adds. “We wanted to inspire people to take a stand, so we avoided vague or generic “us vs. them” language. Instead, we aimed to clearly name what we’re pushing back against — police violence, systemic inequality, and the marginalization of vulnerable communities. At the same time, we wanted the album to be fun, irreverent, and cathartic. The issues are serious, but the music doesn’t have to be heavy-handed. That’s why we lean into the idea of being accomplices, not just allies — standing beside and not standing behind. The record reflects where we come from and the things we see in East Vancouver. We have a diverse and passionate audience that supports us, and this record is for them. It’s a ‘Fuck you’ to the systems that fail people and keep them down, but it’s also a celebration of resistance. We believe in a better world is possible so we make music for a revolution that we ourselves would want to sing along and dance to while bringing one about.”
Meow Sabotage! is out now, and you can order it from Street Rats Records. Follow Toy Tiger on Facebook and Instagram for future updates.
Photo Credit: Finn Faithfull
