The best thing about the underground music scene right now is that there's so much great music out there. That can also be one of the greatest challenges of the underground music scene right now. How do you stay on top of all these bands and releases? Where do you find the time to even listen to everything? The answer, of course, is that you can't listen to everything. And I certainly can't write about everything. But if I hear something that knocks my socks off and leaves me utterly wowed, that's going to be prioritized. A couple of my influential friends have pointed me in the direction of Weak Hands' new album We Can't!, and I could not be more grateful. Had this release evaded my detection, as so many great albums do, it would have been a tremendous shame.
Although this Toronto-based band has been existence since 2017, this is its debut record. And it's extraordinary. Seriously: I'm living for this album! Broadly, I could call this a pop-punk record. But I could just as easily describe it as indie rock. It manages to co-inhabit those two worlds with complete success. Both literally and figuratively, singer/songwriter Nat Manzocco has a powerful and unique voice. From the instant she sings the album's opening line "I count one two three four twenty-one floors," she commands your attention. The way she manages to dissect a painful breakup and how its connects to her sense of self and her growth as a human is simultaneously deeply personal and highly relatable. I wish I could have been this wise and self-aware in my 30s. I'm not even sure I'm there yet at 55! Musically, this record is both unassuming and epic. The songs are thoughtful and reflective yet don't shy away from bright melodies and big, soaring choruses. As devastating as some of these lyrics would be if you just read them on paper, they hit significantly harder due to the anthemic quality of the music. Back when "emo" still meant what it used to, that term would have nailed the essence of this record. Music doesn't get any more visceral than than this. If "I Miss the Dress That I Wore the First Time You Took Me Dancing" doesn't tear your heart out, you might not be human. Ditto for "Summer Sometimes."
And so the great albums of 2026 continue to pile up, and that can be nothing but a good thing. My top 20 list of albums from this year is already 40 titles deep (ha ha), but We Can't! is a lock for one of those spots. And the shorter length (only 8 songs) works in its favor. Nat Manzocco didn't allow anything resembling a sub-par track to make the final cut. She lived these songs, and with the help of her bandmates, forged them into something remarkable. Her ability to tell her story in a way that makes us feel like it could also be our story shows what a formidable songwriting talent she is. This is an album I'll listen to many times and experience like it were a favorite movie or book. What an assured & masterful debut!
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