Hard luck Hamilton band finally releases cursed album

The Rest just put out a new album — but it seems like some otherworldly force doesn't want you to hear it.

It's called Seesaw. The album was almost finished a year ago, but was completely deleted by a hard drive glitch. Three years work gone in four beats.

Through extensive restoration, the finished album finally showed up from the manufacturer on lead singer Adam Bentley's doorstep.

All should have been well — except the 1,000 or so CDs he received played only static.

"I wanted to kill someone," Bentley said. "To actually find out who screwed this up and nail them to a wall."

"I think I calmed down maybe four days later," he laughed.

This is the record that just keeps on testing the band's resolve — but all they care about is the music itself.

"I just wanted the music out there," Bentley said. "I didn't care how it happened."

A rush of CDs that actually played music followed, and everything turned out fine. Bentley said this album is a little more succinct and to the point than the band's last two releases.

It's a mix of up-tempo pop songs and slower atmospheric tunes, set against Bentley's distinct upper register vocals.

"This album is the most band-oriented of all our releases, and more representative of our live show," he said.

But judge for yourself — you can listen to Seesaw on Bandcamp here. See the band perform it live at Christ's Church Cathedral on June 30.

They'll be joined by New Hands. The show starts at 8 p.m., and costs $7 at the door.

You can listen to the Rest and other great Hamilton artists on the CBC Music playlist here.