The OBGMs Essentials

A rare Black-fronted band in the nominally white world of Canadian garage rock, Toronto’s OBGMs channel their outsider status into a frenetic, furious style of punk. Originally a synth-buzzed quartet—as showcased on berserker New Wave cuts like 2017’s “Beat Up Kidz”—The OBGMs stripped down to a power trio for their 2020 release The Ends. With songwriting assistance from PUP’s Stefan Babcock, that record pushed The OBGMs to more volatile, violent extremes (“Outsah”) while balancing the trashiness with more tuneful turns like the Hives-style rave-up “Not Again” and the Pixies-spiked bubble-grunge of “All My Friends.”