Montreal-based art-punk band La Sécurité has returned with “Serpent,” the latest single off their debut album Stay Safe! (Mothland), out June 16th, 2023. Immediately locking into a head-bobbing post-punk groove complete with chorus heavy bass and an insistent shaker, the track recalls the dance-punk of classic acts like Delta 5, while sharing a spirit with Canadian contemporaries like Crack Cloud. With lyrics describing friend group drama, the track is a cheeky ode to a complicated friendship; as the band puts it, “The person it is directed towards loves dancing. It’s a pretty dancy song. We hope they dance to it.” Alongside the track, the band has shared an accompanying music video in their signature lo-fi, vintage camera aesthetic. Compiled from footage captured during their recent run at SXSW, the video captures the snarky joy of the song’s bounce, showing the band’s adventures romping around Austin, Texas.

La Sécurité’s art-punk is equal parts jumpy beats, off-kilter arrangements, and minimalistic melodic hooks, all run through an insomniac filter — the result of excessive exposure to Montreal’s neon lights. The music is eminently sharp and danceable, while the lyrics share the feminist community-centric ethos of the Riot Grrrl movement. “It’s not just fun and games… it also bites. It’s catchy earworms delivered with a punk attitude,” guitarist Melissa Di Menna says. 

After years of working with their many different projects (Choses Sauvages, Laurence-Anne, Silver Dapple, DATES, Pressure Pin, etc.), the motley bunch now meanders the fringes of punk, new wave and krautrock, mischievously flouting stylistic form every chance they get. Stay Safe!’s album art, designed by Di Menna, reflects this approach; scattered entities coming together and falling into place organically.