Surf guitars, ‘verbed-out vocals and danceable ‘60s drum breaks, it’s a veritable garage rock riot. Tosta Mista sounds like the whole of the Nuggets box set condensed into an album that’s just 23 minutes long. It’s the sound of sweaty patio parties and hot summer nights, but the upbeat music masks the fact that Tosta Mista is an album about heartbreak, telling the story of singer/guitarist Daniel Lee and bassist April Aliermo’s breakup after five years together. The result is an album about: “Love, lust, heartbreak, dramatic shit like that. Melodramatic huh? It’s all kind of tongue in cheek, but very real at the same time.”

Now a five-to-seven-piece band (depending on the project in hand), Hooded Fang sprung to life in the attic bedroom shared by Daniel and April, the name coming from a classic children’s book written by Mordecai Richler. Conveniently, Nick Hune-Brown, keyboardist, lived downstairs. The band used to rehearse in that attic room and they would even put on shows for local and touring bands. It’s where they recorded a 2008 EP and 2010’s self-released, Canada-only debut, Album, which earned them the Polaris nomination, made them the most blogged band on The Hype Machine and led to tours with The Rural Alberta Advantage.

Still fiercely independent, Hooded Fang are releasing this latest album on their own Daps Records, which will be a fully-functioning entity putting out records by other artists this year.