Single Premiere: Physical Copies - "Champion City"
Edmonton’s Physical Copies will FINALLY be releasing their debut album in September of 2020. This much-loved band is comprised of five best friends that have been creating pits and dance floors in Edmonton for over 20 years. The band includes some heavy hitters within the Edmonton music community; members who are also involved with Shout Out Out Out Out, No Problem, Screaming Targets, and Real Sickies. Self-described as “Pre-Apocalyptic New Wave”, they have been wowing audiences in Alberta since their debut EP was released in 2015.
Leading up to their album release, Physical Copies will be dropping singles sporadically over the next few months and today the Cups N Cakes Network is ecstatic to be able to give the world the first listen to “Champion City”.
A staple in their live set, “Champion City” was written in 2015 as a response to Edmonton’s mayor, Don Iveson, getting rid of the city’s much loved slogan: The City Of Champions. Edmontonian’s have been defiant in regards to this terrible decision by still referring to the former slogan as the city’s trademark. The slogan represented more than the sports dynasties fronted by Wayne Gretzky and Warren Moon… it represented the people of the city… the people who came together after the “Black Friday” tornado that devastated Edmonton in 1987. The slogan was actually coined by former mayor Laurence Decore in direct response to how the city stood tall in the aftermath of that disaster. At that time, a ridiculous run of Stanley Cups and Grey Cups was sheer convenience that helped this new slogan thrive.
When asked about the song, drummer Clint Frazier stated:
“We here at Physical Copies believe that Edmonton is still full of Champions. We're a blue collar city full of hardworkers and trailblazers... and let's not forget the best DIY arts scene in Canada. In our books it takes a champion to make the most out of this -40 barren wasteland. So, turn this motherfucker up to 11... Because YOU ARE a champion!”
And just for fun… Check out the first single from their forthcoming debut album. It’s called “High Hopes” and was released two weeks ago.