Toronto-based rock and roll revivalists Original Pairs unleash “Star Guitar,” a dark and defiant anthem to DIY spirit and six-string glory. Fueled by a caveman riff and retro-psych energy, the track is equal parts glam rock snarl and garage band grit – a love letter to every barstool shredder with something to prove.

Written in homage to the final days of Toronto’s storied Dakota Tavern, the song captures the bittersweet end of a beloved venue where the band once played regularly. “They stopped giving bands beer, the doorman disappeared, the sound tech ghosted – we knew it was over,” says guitarist/vocalist Andrew Frontini. “But we plugged in anyway. Because the show must go on.”

Recorded live off the floor at Lincoln County Social Club, the band powered through four tracks in one day. Exhausted and unraveling, they built in four silent beats to bridge two takes – only for keyboardist Jon Loewen to forget and play through the pause. That happy accident became the final cut, later crowned by a synth solo tracked in one take on John Dinsmore‘s vintage Moog, giving the song its warped, nostalgic edge.

What can you share with readers about your new project?
Our new single “Star Guitar” is a riff-heavy garage rocker with psychedelic overtones. It’s an anthem for wanna-be guitar gods playing half-empty dives all over the world.

How does this release compare with your other projects you had in the past?
This is our heaviest release yet with a really relentless riff. Like a lot of our other songs there’s a story, but this time it’s told with a kind of desperate energy—fuelled by the caveman riffage.

What about this single makes you most proud?
The tandem solo—overdriven guitar and synth. It’s super intense!

Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
We wanted to create a hard rock foundation for our new record Surface Tension that’s coming out in September this year. There are some ’60s and ’70s psych influences that run through the whole project. “Star Guitar” is the opening salvo.

What inspires you to create music?
Must write and play music to stay sane.

What motivates you to keep going?
After four records and fifteen-plus years as a band, our real success is that we are still at it. We enjoy complete artistic freedom and we keep getting better. Slow and steady wins the race.

If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why?
Link Wray—that guy had the tone.

What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
“Echo Waves 1” off the album Inventions for Electric Guitar by Manuel Göttsching from 1974. Mind-bending German proto-electronic trip-out music made exclusively through guitar multitracking.

Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?

• Instagram: Original Pairs
• Facebook: Original Pairs
• YouTube: Original Pairs Channel

I really appreciate your time. Is there anything you’d like to share before we sign off?
OP are musical storytellers and our music is pretty eclectic—check out our past albums:

• Natural State
  Listen on SoundCloud
  
• Long Play
  Listen on SoundCloud
  
  Stream on Spotify
  

AND… Stay tuned for the release of more singles over the summer and the album Surface Tension in September!