The OBGMs — vocalist/guitarist Densil McFarlane, drummer Colanthony Humphrey and bassist Joseph Brosnan — aren’t your typical rock band. “This is a Black-fronted punk band, and that’s really important,” McFarlane says. “Rock n’ roll is mostly white suburban kids — that’s what gets promoted. But we are Black and we out here. I was inspired to make rock music when I saw a Black guy onstage, and if someone sees that in us, I hope it will inspire a new generation to go after this.” The band’s 2020 album The Ends was recorded at Dream House Studios in their hometown of Toronto with Grammy and Juno award-winning producer Dave Schiffman (Trash Talk, PUP, Rage Against The Machine). Tracks like hard-hitting single “Cash” slices through the stereo field with a serrated guitar edge and streetwise punk sneer, while “Not Again” delivers a middle finger to old ways and self-defeating mindsets — all set to a slamming beat and roiling spitfire cadence.
Photo by Amanda Fotes
