Toronto’s pop-punk tricksters The Mendozaz return with “An American Werewolf in London, Ontario,” the second advance single from their upcoming eight-song concept EP The Completely Fictional History of This Great Nation of Canada, out November 3 on Cartridge Heart. Landing somewhere between the sly humor of The Dead Milkmen, the sharp hooks of early Green Day, and the storytelling chaos of PUP, the track turns pulp horror into pogo-ready punk. It’s a love song gone feral, a cross-border romance with teeth, and a perfect showcase of The Mendozaz’s ability to make fast, loud music that’s as funny as it is catchy.
Frontman Jonny calls it “an epic tale of forbidden inter-species romance spread across the border,” though he admits the song took on a life of its own. “It was supposed to be some menacing, proggy thing but the peppy, infectious vocal hook won out and here we are. Classic example of heart over head. Kind of like our werewolf friend.” The lyrics follow a Michigan werewolf riddled with anxiety over his murderous moonlit escapades, fearful that his crimes will end with deportation and exile from his true love across the Ambassador Bridge. What could have been brooding prog instead emerges as a whip-smart, grinning punk track that makes terror feel like a party trick.
The Mendozaz have long thrived on this kind of contradiction: reckless subject matter wrapped in irresistible melodies, bizarre narratives delivered with total sincerity. “An American Werewolf in London, Ontario” is no exception, pairing the bite of horror-movie carnage with the bounce of late-90s pop-punk, nodding to everything from Big Shiny Tunes radio staples to Fat Wreck samplers without ever losing their own anarchic voice. It’s a police report set to power chords, and another reminder that The Mendozaz are as fearless with ideas as they are with volume knobs.
Formed in 2017, the Toronto trio, Jonny (vocals/guitar), Michael (vocals/bass), and Dic (drums), have built their reputation on relentless live shows and a catalog of songs that hit with equal parts humor and urgency. Their upcoming EP The Completely Fictional History of This Great Nation of Canada pushes that identity further, weaving satirical spins on Canadian folklore with riotous riffs and unflinching absurdity. For radio, a clean version of “An American Werewolf in London, Ontario” is available to download, but in any form the track stands as a showcase of what The Mendozaz do best: taking punk’s raw energy and pointing it toward stories no one else would dare to tell.
