Real Sickies Drop New Album “Under A Plastic Bag”

Edmonton’s pop-punk powerhouse Real Sickies have returned with their fifth full length, Under A Plastic Bag, that is out now through Stomp Records. Known for their relentless touring and infectious melodies, the band channels the spirit of punk’s golden age with a fresh and approachable modern twist. The album’s focus track, Wild Imagination, comes with an accompanying video created by Jesse Nash and a backstory as unique as its sound. The recording process for Under A Plastic Bag was as intense as the themes the album explores. Engineered and produced by Joshua Wells (Autogramm / Lightning Dust), the album was recorded in Edmonton’s Riverdale Recorders during one of the city’s coldest winters.

“The song sounds dirty, but it’s all about fossils. I got really into fossil hunting, especially petrified wood, and spent days walking through a creek in Edmonton, soaking my feet and humming this tune. The lyrics came together in trickles. It’s quirky, it’s personal, and it’s very much a part of the journey this album represents.” (frontman Ben Disaster)

Real Sickies fuse the raw power of Ramones-core with melodic hooks that could just as easily resonate in packed punk venues as on alternative FM radio. Written between whirlwind international tours, late-night demo sessions, and chaotic live performances, Under A Plastic Bag is an album brimming with raw, high-energy anthems. Tracks like Wild Imagination, Should Have Seen It Coming and Triage showcase the band’s knack for crafting catchy choruses and sharp songwriting, blending the simplicity of the Ramones with the wild edge of Teenage Head, the melodic urgency of Buzzcocks, the quirky, off-kilter energy of Devo, and the brooding intensity of The Sound.

“Josh flew in from Chicago and joined us in our Little Italy studio in Edmonton. We hunkered down with coffee and sandwiches, sometimes only sleeping five hours a night. It felt right, it was positive, freeing, and creative. We had a lot of songs and big ideas, but everything came together in that short, freezing stretch of time. We built a fort in the studio to keep warm, drank endless coffee, and powered through long nights. The cold and isolation somehow fuelled the energy of the recordings. It was a weirdly perfect environment to make a record about chaos, resilience, and piecing things back together.” (Ben Disaster)