Take another bite of the Handsome Sandwich

Back in February, local band Handsome Sandwich released their debut music video for the song Bitter.

In no time at all, Mitch Sirie, Tea Emlaw, Jesse Cook, Rafael Medina and Johnathan Belanger had racked up almost 4,000 views with the video being actively shared through social media within the community and beyond.

“Bitter was the most anticipated song to go out, being our first,” says guitarist Mitch Sirie.

“Thanks to local media coverage, it still remains the most viewed video we have. We didn’t expect to see an organic growth of 3,000+ views on it, but, here we are.”

The band quickly released a highly-stylized, second video for the song, Better Off.

The video was shot by Marc James Laporte and assembled by the band themselves.

“Better off was definitely not as comfortable to listen to if you like easy-going songs, but people seemed to enjoy it regardless,” says drummer Johnathan Belanger.

“Our friend who now lives in the U.K. even did his own rendition of the song and that’s super flattering.”

This week, Handsome Sandwich released a third video, this time for the upbeat track, No Entry, directed by Josh Penno of Spacebag Productions.

“It’s a band favourite,” says singer Tea Emlaw.

“We wanted to ‘save the best’ single for last. It’s the most upbeat song on the album, and for it only being out for only 24 hours [as of the writing of this article]. We think it’s safe to say the reactions have been just as great, if not better than our previous two singles.”

The song features an appearance by local multi-instrumentalist Josh Norling on the saxophone.

“The sax solo adds just the right amount of extra spice to make this sandwich a delicacy,” says Sirie.

Guitarist Jessie Cooks agrees.

“No Entry is a funky, toe-tapping sing-a-long song. It’s a mix of soul and groove and really gets the blood flowing,” he says.

The band says all the local love and support have been overwhelming and they are excited to announce that their Dustin Goodall-produced album Deconstructed will be released on Saturday, May 6 at an album release concert at The Loft.

“Whether you want to cry, yell, or dance, we’ve got you covered,” says Belanger.

“The songs really encapsulate the dynamics and growth of each musician in this band and we couldn’t be prouder of each other. We can’t wait to perform for everyone.”

Bassist Rafael Medina says the band is truly stronger together as a band of equals.

“Each song represents a different side of who we are as artists without compromising the general sound of the band,” says Medina.

The diversity in the songs, musical hooks, stellar musicianship, and a dash of quirkiness make Handsome Sandwich one of the most exciting new bands in the community.

For their album release event, the band will share the stage with kindred spirits, local band Man Feelings, who released their very original City Friends EP in 2021. 

“This is the perfect band to be sharing in the celebration,” says Sirie.

“They’re every bit as quirky as ourselves, and their music is so much fun. Man Feelings is the band we opened for when it came to their music video release of Modest Spouse so it’s even more fitting to be sharing the stage with them again. Plus, they’re all really swell cats.”

Belanger sees music as a community activity. 

"We want to give the audience a sense of community and friendship among bands," he says.

"It’s often forgotten the main reason we all get involved with music in the first place. Someone, somewhere made us believe in what they were doing, and we want to emulate it. How better to keep that train moving forward than to get more bands involved with sharing milestones? We aren’t just players of music, we are the fanatics."

Handsome Sandwich will be performing their entire new album from start to finish.

“We will then perform new songs written post-production of our album and top off the evening with a couple of songs more familiar to the audience that represent a foundation of our writing influences,” says Sirie.

As for what is next for the band, they are already planning to record a follow-up EP.

“We have a 5-song EP to start recording in the fall with Greig Nori and a single set to start being recorded within the next couple of weeks,” laughs Belanger.  

“We want to make sure that the public knows we are here to satisfy their ear buds for the foreseeable future. No one likes a stale sandwich.”

Handsome Sandwich’s Album Release Concert will take place on:

Saturday, May 6 at the Algoma Conservatory of Music’s The Loft at 75 Huron St.

Doors will open at 7 p.m.

Man Feelings will open the show at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the show can be purchased here.

Handsome Sandwich’s Deconstructed will be available on Saturday, May 6 on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, or any functional streaming service.

Find out more about Handsome Sandwich on their various social media platforms which can be found here.