NAKEDBURN
Photo Credit 📷 : @chilloutcameron
Located at the heart of Canada's largest city, Toronto's NAKEDBURN live by the adage: if the city doesn't sleep neither shall we. Fresh off the success of their debut EP Drowning, NAKEDBURN haven’t wasted any time jumping back into the studio to deliver "Pull Me Under", their heaviest hitting gut punch of a single to date. The last time the Not Just a Phase crew covered Canada's post-hardcore poster boys their future looked very bright.
Now with "Pull Me Under" their sound has taken a deliberately darker and heavier shift. Long time listeners of the genre will feel right at home with the early 2010's emo music video setting of the band performing live in the woods, intercut with shots of an eerie and ominous ghostly apparition. These visual cues are the perfect backdrop for NAKEDBURN's latest haunting single.
Like previous outings, production and recording duties are handled by the bands’ multifaceted guitarist and backing vocalist Luc Chiasson at their home-base, Room 21 Sound in Toronto. Chiasson is one of Toronto's most accomplished producers and audio engineers, having worked with up and coming juggernauts Mouthbreaker and Lostvoy to name a few.
Chiasson not only has his hand on the pulse of the city's music scene, but is the heart pumping the blood bringing these creative visions to life, driving and elevating the bands he works with to greater heights. Since the departure of the bands former drummer Alex Clancy, NAKEDBURN have enlisted Canadian hardcore icon Terrence Pettitt (Comeback Kid) to fill in on drums. Pettitt brings a welcomed grit to his performance behind the kit.
Most notably during the chorus and breakdown sections of "Pull Me Under." Pettitt's drum fills are a decimating force. Driving the track and immersing the listener as if they are the ones being chased by this ghostly apparition through a dark forest. Screaming duties on "Pull Me Under" are shared by guitarist Rob Licandro, and latest addition to the fold, bassist Dylan Vieria. Vieria is no stranger to the Ontario alternative and heavy music scene, not only cutting his chops but sharpening his teeth with other local acts SEWN and Dead Roots. Licandro and Vierra create one of post-hardcores most vicious vocal duos.
Moments where the dual screaming vocals overlap send a chill down your spine, the gritty and raw duality akin to an orchestra of wolves howling in the night. Clean singer Matt Guarassi is the x-factor that ties everything together. The depth and vocal dynamic created by NAKEDBURN's three vocalists is like a riptide, an unstoppable force that takes over a space, veritably grabbing hold of the listener and pulling them under until the very last note of the track.
The highlight of "Pull Me Under" comes directly after the first chorus, where the emotional rollercoaster hits its peak, before violently descending into a musical onslaught where all of the bands vocalists collide, overlapping vocals blurring the lines between individual voices, creating an otherworldly crescendo, voices screaming: Feed me lies in my mind. Keep me up at night. I’ve tried to heal what’s inside.
"Pull Me Under" is nothing if not a statement. It's a statement of NAKEDBURN's need to not only push boundaries but break them. It's clear that this band refuses to recycle ideas and elements of their previous works, and is constantly evolving and innovating their sound with each release. NAKEDBURN have proven that they are nothing short of unpredictable in the best way possible. Challenging each other as band mates and songwriters to never fall into a place of complacency during songwriting. Instead of inking their names to the ever growing love letter of emo in modern music, NAKEDBURN have chosen to take the path less traveled, to carve their names in stone. The same stones that will be the building blocks to the bands path to continued success.
As the year comes to a close NAKEDBURN have shown no interest in slowing down their ever growing momentum. Focusing their efforts on writing and booking tours across Canada for 2026 in addition to plans to travel to the US next year to work on new music. It's never clear what the new year will bring, but NAKEDBURN have shown time and time again, it will always be fresh, exciting, and different from the last.
Catch NAKEDBURN live next month December15th at the Hard Luck with Young Culture, and Wakelee.
NAKEDBURN is Matt Guarrasi on lead vocals, Rob Licandro & Luc Chiasson on guitars and vocals, Dylan Vieria on bass & vocals, and Terrance Pettitt on drums for this track.
Follow them on Instagram here : @nakedburn
Writer : @obijuan.cannoli
Editor : @garevthistle
11/03/25
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