Chore Return After Two Decades with Ferocious New Album Oswego Park

Dunnville, Ontario’s Chore are back after two decades with Oswego Park, a tightly wound, deeply personal fourth album brimming with post-hardcore intensity, progressive structures, and raw emotion. Out now via Sonic Unyon Records, the record follows previously released single “Cowards Can” and highlights the menacing, riff-heavy “King” – a song that channels the pressures of modern life through a lens of chaotic energy and self-reflection.

While “King” may be one of the record’s most aggressive and angular moments, Oswego Park is anything but one-note. Across its sprawling tracklist, the album ricochets from pummeling math-metal intricacies to brooding alt-rock atmospherics, from knotty time signatures to soaring melodic payoffs. Written and recorded intermittently between 2017 and 2022 – and shaped in part by the global pandemic – the record captures Chore 2.0 working purely for the love of the craft.

The album’s title is a nod to a small rural subdivision halfway between Dunnville and Smithville, Ontario – a hub of childhood mischief and friendship for brothers Chris (guitar/vocals) and Mike Bell (bass guitar) and a point of connection with drummer/vocalist/percussionist David Dunham. “We’ve always waved a little Dunnville flag in our work,” says Mike. “This album really drives it home.”

Listen to Oswego Park HERE. Watch the official “King” music video HERE.

Originally sparked at the drumkit in Chris’ basement studio, “King” was built from an aggressive, unique drum part that laid the foundation for the track. The brothers and David Dunham then layered intertwining nuances and riffs, while the manic feel, rotating time signatures, and overall aggressiveness mirrored the song’s theme: wrestling with self-identity in a cyber world of hidden critics and relentless social pressure. “If AI had a language based on modern society, I think it would sound something like the samples at the end of this song,” notes Chris.

“This is one of the first songs we’ve written that we can both listen back to and play and say we enjoy both immensely,” he continues. “Same goes for all of the songs on this record.” That balance of precision and passion drives the entire album, making it both a natural extension of their earlier output and an exciting redefinition of what Chore can be.

Recorded and mixed by former bandmate Mitch Bowden at Mechanical Noise Studio and produced by the band themselves, Oswego Park benefits from both deep-rooted camaraderie and the technical freedom of modern home recording. “Mitch has the ability to make everything he touches better,” says Chris. “It was the most relaxed and enjoyable studio experience I’ve ever had.” That sense of ease stands in stark contrast to the music’s tightly coiled ferocity, making the record as cathartic to listen to as it was to create.

Chore’s return isn’t just a nostalgic reunion; it’s a reaffirmation of their place in Canada’s heavy music history. Emerging in the late 1990s, the band gained recognition for their fearless approach to songwriting – an adventurous blend of post-hardcore grit, progressive ambition, and melodic hooks. Their early work earned them a reputation as one of the country’s most inventive underground acts, and their live shows became legendary for their intensity and unpredictability.

Now, after twenty years apart, Oswego Park finds Chore reconnecting with that energy but with the wisdom and perspective of maturity. “We’ve finally made the record we were always trying to make when we were kids,” says Mike. “If that’s all this reunion ends up being, I’m more than happy. Everything else is gravy.”

Though the band has no plans to return to full-time touring, they will mark the album’s release with a special one-off performance in Hamilton, Ontario – their first in over 20 years. For fans who have waited decades, it’s a chance to hear Chore at their most powerful and uncompromising. For the band, it’s the closing of one circle and the beginning of another.

Oswego Park is more than just a comeback record. It’s a testament to resilience, friendship, and the enduring pull of music created for no other reason than love. With riffs that burn, rhythms that convulse, and lyrics that cut deep, Chore have not only reclaimed their voice – they’ve proven that some bands don’t just come back; they come back stronger.