Ivy Gardens unleashed new full-length album »Death Of Don Valley« on Paper Cut Recordings; Canadian tour dates announced!
Niagara Falls, Canada based experimental sludge trio Ivy Gardens presents their second full-length album, »Death Of Don Valley«, which was just released on August 29th, 2025 via Paper Cut Recordings.
Tracklist:
01. Burn For Murder
02. Eye Witness
03. Burden
04. Guiding Hand
05. Frozen Limbs
06. Gearth
07. Astray
08. Bliss
09. Golden
Courtesy of Asher Media Relations:
Niagara Falls, Canada’s Ivy Gardens is unveiling their lush-sounding, raw and live off the floor sludge rock storytelling album »Death Of Don Valley« as they prepare to hit the road across Canada in support of its release on August 29th, 2025 via Paper Cut Recordings.
The band comments on their sophomore album:
“»Death Of Don Valley« is the record we had inside us, but couldn’t quite articulate for several years. Musically, it’s a huge leap in a more experimental direction. It’s about death, decay, and the ultimate destruction of the world around you. Everybody knows of some sort of small natural space that gets slowly encroached upon until only a shell remains. The pond beside the highway, the wetlands behind the factory. The Don Valley in Toronto is one such natural feature, slowly tainted by industrialization until it can’t support any of the life that it used to. After touring for several years, we grew a lot as musicians, and only after really honing all of this material live for about a year, we felt we were ready to get it tracked and send it into the world. We recorded everything live off the floor, and Frank, our engineer, had heard nothing beforehand and had no idea what we actually sounded like going into it. Eventually, he asked us, ‘How do you determine what becomes a 2-minute song, and what becomes a 9-minute song?’ Pure instinct, Frank. Here it is.”
Photo credit: Luka Kartveli
Formed in the unlikely crucible of a Princess Auto parking lot, Ivy Gardens began with a simple desire to shred through Rush instrumentals and explore the outer reaches of heavy music. Now, following their acclaimed first full-length “Goon” released in 2024, the band takes a daring leap into more dour, experimental terrain. »Death Of Don Valley« presents a concept album steeped in decay, lyrically and sonically portraying the slow death of natural spaces like Toronto’s Don River, drowned by industry and time.
Ivy Gardens’ influences are vast, ranging from progressive icons like Rush, Yes, and King Crimson to sludge pioneers like EyeHateGod and Iron Monkey. Their sound blends elements of stoner metal, sludge, math rock, and progressive rock, creating an unpredictable listening experience that takes the listener through a series of emotional and sonic landscapes.
Fans can expect a live experience unlike any other as Ivy Gardens is hitting the road for a cross-Canada tour in kicking off on August 29th in St. Catharines, ON, and will wrap up in Victoria, BC on October 25th (dates listed below).
»Death Of Don Valley« (out August 29th) is available now at Bandcamp | Spotify.
Ivy Gardens – Live or Die Tour:
Aug 29 – St. Catharines, ON – Warehouse Concert Hall
Aug 30 – Toronto, ON – Monarch Tavern
Sep 5 – Kitchener, ON – The Golden Apple
Sep 12 – Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge
Sep 13 – Sarnia, ON – AJs Bar
Sep 14 – London, ON – Grogettes Living Room
Sep 18 – Halifax, NS – Radstorm
Sep 19 – Sydney, NS – Daniels Ale House
Sep 20 – Charlottetown, PEI – Babas Lounge
Sep 21 – Moncton, NB – Generator Show
Sep 25 – Woodstock, NB – Montieth Manor
Sep 26 – Montreal, QC – Turbo Haus
Sep 27 – Quebec City, QC – Sonum
Oct 9 – Barrie, ON – CW Coops
Oct 10 – Sudbury, ON – Townhouse Tavern
Oct 11 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirates Pub
Oct 12 – Winnipeg, MB – Bulldog Event Center
Oct 16 – Regina, SK – The Cure Kitchen and Bar
Oct 17 – Saskatoon, SK – The Black Cat
Oct 18 – Calgary, AB – Palomino
Oct 19 – Edmonton, AB – Blak Bar
Oct 23 – Kelowna, BC – Dunnenzies
Oct 24 – Vancouver, BC – Black Alley
Oct 25 – Victoria, BC – Fernwood Community Center
Album credits:
All songs written and performed by Ivy Gardens
Produced by Ivy Gardens
Recorded and mixed by Frank Ditillio
Mastered by Cameron Lee
Album artwork by Ivy Gardens
Death of Don Valley is Canadian Content (MAPL)
Ivy Gardens is:
Joe Zandwyk – Drums, Vocals, Samples
Sebastian Hogg – Organ, Piano, Synth, Samples
Andrew Blackborow – Guitar, Vocals
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well