Summer Bruises Confront Darkness on Sophomore Album Out of Body

Some bands approach a sophomore album with the goal of refinement, sanding down the rough edges of their debut into something polished and neatly packaged. For Calgary-based indie-rock group Summer Bruises, the opposite is true. With Out of Body, recorded at Arch Audio Studio with producer Lorrie Matheson, the band have intentionally sharpened the jagged corners, embraced cold textures, and welcomed in both creative tension and darker thematic terrain. The result is a record that stares unflinchingly into the face of predators, real or imagined, while refusing to turn away from the uncomfortable truths that emerge.

The album’s thematic spine is built on the archetype of the predator—whether internal, external, figurative, or literal. Each song offers its own angle on this idea, from the cartoonish vampiric figures lurking within “Sang Crême Glacée” to the volatile volatility of “With Me or At Me.” The band tackles abusive relationships, loneliness, cycles of self-reckoning, and the desire to heal. The themes are heavy, but instead of succumbing to them, Summer Bruises transmute those struggles into something both cathartic and strangely danceable. Lead single “Death Disco” embodies this balance perfectly: pulsing with unrelenting energy, it pairs goth-inspired tension with sharp post-punk edges, creating something you can move to even as it unnerves you.

Musically, Out of Body marks a distinct departure from the band’s debut, Light to Waste. Where that first album leaned into warmth and communal cohesiveness, the new record is deliberately colder. “As the album’s music and lyrics are ‘colder’ than our debut, Light to Waste, we isolated ourselves from each other in different rooms during recording or finished our tracks individually,” explains guitarist Aaron Smelski. “This was intentional and encouraged by our producer, Lorrie Matheson. Overall, it has a colder feel – similar to a Joy Division album – than warm cohesiveness like our previous record.”

That icy approach can be heard clearly in “Death Disco,” where drum-machine-inspired percussion and discordant piano splinter open the song’s core. Its uneasy pulse drives forward relentlessly, creating a sense of dread and momentum in equal measure. But the song’s significance goes beyond its sound—it was also a turning point for the band’s collaborative process. While much of Light to Waste came together with ease, “Death Disco” introduced the group to their first real creative friction. “Don’t worry – we still love each other,” they clarify, “but it was the first time we really had to navigate through tension and find a healthy way forward.”

That willingness to confront challenges instead of avoiding them has become one of the defining aspects of Out of Body. Rather than push against the conflicts that arose, the band leaned into them, allowing the unease to bleed into the music itself. “We wanted to write a song that The Bat Cave, London circa 1980’s, would play,” share Elyse Szabo (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and Aaron. “‘Death Disco is about the realization of what you’ve invited in – seeing your error in judgment, maybe realizing too late that you allowed yourself to be seduced. You’ve gone just past the point of no return, and the only way out is through.’”

Even the song’s title, which stuck almost by accident, feels emblematic of the entire record. Dark, theatrical, and irresistible, “Death Disco” fuses regret and release in a way that invites both introspection and motion. As Elyse puts it: “It makes me feel like I gotta dance through the regret.”

That sentiment echoes the larger spirit of Out of Body. While the record doesn’t shy away from harsh truths, it never fully surrenders to despair. Instead, Summer Bruises channel their unease into music that feels alive, vital, and unafraid of its own imperfections. “We’ve grown as collaborators and as musicians,” Elyse reflects. “There will always be moments when ideas clash, but we’ve gotten better at navigating those moments in a healthy way.”

With Out of Body, Summer Bruises have proven that growth doesn’t always come from harmony. Sometimes it emerges from conflict, from cold spaces, from staring into the shadow and daring it to stare back. The album is a dark but danceable bleed-out, a record that cuts deep while offering the release of movement. It’s not an easy listen, but it’s a rewarding one—an album that pushes the band into bold new territory while solidifying their place as one of Canada’s most compelling indie acts to watch.