Teen Punk Band General Chaos Are Already Hitting Like Veterans on Can’t Please ’Em All

Montreal punk has always had a certain kind of grit to it. Loud basement shows, freezing walks home after gigs, steam rising off Saint-Laurent at two in the morning, amps ringing in your ears long after the set ends. General Chaos tap directly into that lineage on their new album Can’t Please ’Em All, but what makes it even more impressive is the fact that the band are only sixteen years old.

Set for release May 8 via Stomp Records, Can’t Please ’Em All doesn’t sound like a young band still figuring things out. It sounds like a band that’s already played enough sweaty rooms and late-night sets to understand exactly where their strengths are.

Across thirteen tracks, General Chaos lock into a sharp blend of melodic punk, street punk, and politically charged alternative punk that pulls from bands like Rancid, Descendents, Social Distortion, and early Green Day without feeling like imitation. The guitars stay lean and efficient, the bass drives everything forward, and the drums keep the songs grounded even when the energy spikes into chaos.

Lead singles “Busted” and “The Idiots Have Taken Over” showcase both sides of the band — fast, hook-heavy punk with enough bite to leave a mark — while standout track “Zipco” leans into something rougher and more lived-in. There’s no overthinking here. No polish for the sake of polish. Just direct songwriting that hits hard because it feels real.

What makes the whole thing even wilder is how quickly the band got here.

General Chaos formed in 2022 when the members were just twelve years old, growing up inside Montreal’s deeply rooted punk scene through all-ages shows, festival appearances, and constant gigging across Québec and Ontario. By fifteen, they had already released their debut LP Outta My Way with producer Ryan Battistuzzi, steadily building a reputation through repetition rather than novelty.

That work ethic carries into Can’t Please ’Em All. The record was tracked in just three days at Le Stuzzio with Battistuzzi and produced by Fred Jacques of The Sainte Catherines. You can hear the urgency in every song. Aude Deniger’s basslines stay front and centre, Rémi Jacques keeps the drums tight and controlled, and Constantin Blondy’s guitar work avoids unnecessary flash in favour of pure momentum.

There’s also a strong sense of inheritance running through the album. General Chaos clearly come from the same Québec punk lineage that includes The Nils, The Asexuals, Planet Smashers, and Banlieue Rouge. But instead of sounding nostalgic, the band make that history feel alive and current.

Lyrically, the album tackles political dysfunction, addiction, consumer culture, straight edge identity, and the pressure of trying to figure yourself out in real time. There’s no detached irony to it either. Everything feels immediate, messy, and honest in the way great punk records usually do.

More than anything, Can’t Please ’Em All feels like proof that punk’s next generation is already here. General Chaos aren’t trying to revive anything. They’re simply continuing it, loudly and without waiting for permission.