Meet…Cleopatrick

Canadian alt-rock duo cleopatrick continue to storm through as they prepare for their next adventure into their debut album, BUMMER.

Photo Credit: Kurtis Watson

Consisting of 23-year-olds Luke Gruntz and Ian Fraser, the rising duo have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with for their infused genres of rock production with the addictive soundscapes of hip-hop.

From the fields of high school to gracing fans across the world, the best friends have routed in becoming one of the most exciting bands of the year. As they sit across the other side of the world, we caught up with Luke about their latest release, 'FAMILY VAN', New Rock Mafia and the dream to support Drake.

Firstly, congratulations on your latest release, 'FAMILY VAN' and announcing your debut album - what has the reaction been like so far, and what can we expect next?

Thank you so much. We are so excited to finally be putting this new music out into the world. It's been a long time coming. For a lot of fans, they already knew these songs from our live shows - and so the reception has been really fantastic.

At just only 23-years-old, you have already gained a plethora of attention, but how did cleopatrick start and what influenced you to become a duo?

cleopatrick started after Ian, and I graduated from high school. We wanted to pursue music, and so we started our first "real" band and began writing our first EP. It wasn't really our choice to become a duo. We just fell into it because we couldn't find a bass player in our town.

From your debut EP 14 to where you are standing now, did you always see yourself pursuing music and were there any other routes you were thinking of going down?

I have wanted to be a musician since I was six years old. It never really crossed my mind to pursue any other career. My back up plan was to start my own label - which ironically, we just did!

Now you are known for your eccentric soundscapes, but how would you describe your sound to someone who hasn't heard of you before?

Honest.

Whilst you're based in Canada, what's the past year been like for you, and would you say that you've found it easier or harder to hone your craft?

There have been some uphill climbs, but overall, I think Canada is an awesome place to start a band. Our government has a handful of arts-focused grants available that are accessible to anyone. We recorded our entire EP, "the boys" off an artist development grant I wrote for us. I'm grateful that our government puts time and money into building up the Canadian arts scene. Shoutout Canada!

As we talk about honing your craft and your first release of 2021, can fans expect a larger project such as an album and is there any secrets you could spill?

Our debut album "BUMMER" is available worldwide on June 4th, 2021!!!

On the other hand, live music is gearing to go and, as you're known for brilliant live performances, how excited are you to get back out and do you have anything planned up your sleeves?

We have been itching to get back on the road for 13 months now. We just announced our first tour dates of 2021, and I already know this is going to be our best tour yet. Our new album is designed for live shows. These songs are going to go off.

From supporting Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes to performing sell-out tours, who is the dream support act & venue and why?

I want to open for Drake at the O2 Arena.

Speaking about your fans, you also created the loose DIY collective 'New Rock Mafia' - what does that entail, and what do you hope to achieve from it?

We started NRM with our friends in Ready the Prince and Zig Mentality. It's meant to act as a collective/identity for new and emerging guitar bands of all sorts. As long as your music is honest, and you're a good person, you're NRM. We are hoping this identity can help to make young guitar bands feel more comfortable, sharing their art in a genre that is still so dominated by the old "rockstars" of the past.

Finally, as 2021 is in full swing, what's the dream for cleopatrick?

Play lots of shows and hang out with our friends and fans.