CREDIT: KINGSBARCADE.COM
Single Mothers, a band formed in the Forest City, will be returning to its roots at Call The Office on September 26.

Hailing from the Forest City, punk quartet Single Mothers will return September 26 to Call The Office as part of its North American promotional tour for its debut fulllength album Negative Qualities.

Guitarist Micheal Peterson was available to talk about the new album, new lineup and renewed vigour for the band to succeed.

“I think the band was pretty volatile for a little while, it was just like generally unstable,” Peterson said about the band’s storied past. “Somebody comes into the band, you get to know them, you’re touring with them, you’re creating with them, and then the next minute, they’re gone and it’s just like, alright – you kind of have to just take a laissez-faire attitude.”

A group that has seen a dozen members come and go, its schlepping is beginning to pay off.

“Everyone from London has been extremely welcoming and supportive of us so, it feels pretty good,” Peterson said.

“[Coming back to London is] interesting for sure, I mean it’s definitely a different vibe than when we first started out,” he said. “Having been a band from London, it sorta feels cool looking from an outside perspective.”

The upcoming show is the band’s first in London since news of Negative Qualities came out, which debuts internationally on October 7.

“Releasing a full length [album is] intimidating but also extremely exciting,” Peterson said about the album. “I think that it’s been a long time coming.”

“We put in a lot of hard work, and cycled through a lot of members … to make this thing happen, so it’s nice to finally have a solid line open and get something out there that’s a complete work.”

Though with members spread across Ontario, the band won’t – or can’t – forget where it started.

“We’re sort of a band that prides itself on who we are and where we came from, like especially with Drew [Thomson]’s lyrics there will always been that aspect of London that’s deep rooted in his writing.”

A city you can escape, but still ends up defining you.

Familiar songs like “Ketamine” and “Overdose” (the latter, originally a Daytrotter recording) have undergone as many transformations like the band itself.

“We came back to everything… starting making the record proper with this line up, those were just the ones that stuck as being I think somewhat representative of the journey that the band’s been on since the conception,” said Peterson. “We got those songs to a place where we were pretty happy with them so we wanted to include a proper version and share that with people.”

Also on the bill are I Smell Blood, Solids, and Wasted Potential. Call The Office is located at the corner of 216 York St. and Clarence. The all-ages show starts at 9 p.m. on September 26 with tickets $10 at the door and online at tinyurl.com/mc29rku.