Niagara Falls, Canada’s Ivy Gardens has erupted from the underground with their latest single and music video, “Eye Witness”, a blistering preview of their upcoming sophomore album “Death of Don Valley”, set to drop on August 29th, 2025, via Paper Cut Recordings. Clocking in at just under three minutes, the track is an intricate whirlwind of violence, precision, and catharsis, embodying the album’s dark themes and Ivy Gardens’ signature “dog-ass music”, a term the band uses lovingly to define their sludge-soaked, high-decibel aesthetic.
Formed in the unlikely crucible of a Princess Auto parking lot, Ivy Gardens began with a simple desire to shred through Rush instrumentals and explore the outer reaches of heavy music. Now, following their acclaimed first full-length “Goon” released in 2024, the band takes a daring leap into more dour, experimental terrain. “Death of Don Valley” presents a concept album steeped in decay, lyrically and sonically portraying the slow death of natural spaces like Toronto’s Don River, drowned by industry and time.
“Eye Witness” dives into a fictional narrative split between two perspectives: one enacting violence, the other enduring it. While it’s one of the band’s most intricate compositions, it’s delivered with raw immediacy and speed, capturing the album’s central tension, unpredictability, intensity, and transcendence.
“Eye Witness is one of the most intricate and technical tracks on the album, but also blasted through as fast as possible. Coming in at a cool 2:50, its lyrics detail a double-homicide,” adds the band.
In additional news, fans can expect a live experience unlike any other as Ivy Gardens is hitting the road for a cross-Canada tour in kicking off on August 29th in St. Catharines, ON, and will wrap up in Victoria, BC on October 25th (dates listed below).
Ivy Gardens’ influences are vast, ranging from progressive icons like Rush, Yes, and King Crimson to sludge pioneers like EYEHATEGOD and Iron Monkey. Their sound blends elements of stoner metal, sludge, math rock, and progressive rock, creating an unpredictable listening experience that takes the listener through a series of emotional and sonic landscapes.
“Death of Don Valley” (out August 29th) is available for pre-order at https://ivygardens.bandcamp.com/
Ivy Gardens – Live or Die Tour:
Aug 29 – St. Catharines, ON – Warehouse Concert Hall
Aug 30 – Toronto, ON – Monarch Tavern
Sept 5 – Kitchener, ON – The Golden Apple
Sept 11 – London, ON – TBA
Sept 12 – Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge
Sept 13 – Sarnia, ON – AJs Bar
Sept 18 – Halifax, NS – Radstorm
Sept 19 – Sydney, NS – Daniels Ale House
Sept 20 – Charlottetown, PEI – Babas Lounge
Sept 21 – Moncton, NB – TBA
Sept 25 – Woodstock, NB – Montieth Manor
Sept 26 – Montreal, QC – Turbo Haus
Sept 27 – Quebec City, QC – Sonum
Oct 9 – Barrie, ON – CW Coops
Oct 10 – Sudbury, ON – Townhouse Tavern
Oct 11 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirate
Oct 12 – Winnipeg, MB – Bulldog Event Center
Oct 16 – Regina, SK – The Cure Kitchen and Bar
Oct 17 – Saskatoon, SK – The Black Cat
Oct 18 – Calgary, AB – Palomino
Oct 19 – Edmonton, AB – Blak Bar
Oct 23 – Kelowna, BC – Dunnenzies
Oct 24 – Vancouver, BC – Black Alley
Oct 25 – Victoria, BC – Fernwood Community Center
