The 1980s Homegrown, Canadian Subgenre Known as Trenchcoat Rock or Warehouse Rock

 Canada's Answer to Yacht Rock?

by James Albert Barr

Okay, I think I retroactively found Canada's answer to Yacht Rock. I'm calling it "Trenchcoat Rock" (or maybe "Warehouse Rock"). This subgenre of "distinctly Canadian rock music" was prevalent during the years 1984-1990. It featured mostly bands, but a few solo artists as well, who were predominantly male, whose lead-singer sported long, big 80s new-wavey hair, and/or mullet-style hair, sometimes receding (or at least one member of the band who had a receding hairline), and wore a trenchcoat/longcoat in at least one music video, which was filmed in an abandoned warehouse, where they would characteristically over-emote their performances in said video(s), seemingly "willing" success and attention, as if they knew their material wasn't all that great.

These bands/artists' music would display a very similar, default-setting, clean, pristine, thinly produced, overtly commercial sound and style, featuring albums that were predictably marred with substantial "filler" aside from the focal-point singles, with little to no deviation in their sound from album to album. Their melodies and hooks, while sometimes genuinely catchy, were fairly simplistic and unsophisticated. Most enjoyed relatively short-term success, almost exclusively in Canada, though several of said acts managed a moderate/minor hit in the U.S. (making the Hot 100 chart, but not necessarily scoring a Top 40 hit). I'm also not trying to necessarily denigrate these bands unduly. I happen to have genuinely enjoyed many of their singles, despite never having been a flat-out "fan" of their stuff and style.

Here's a list of what I believe to be the consummate "Trenchcoat/Warehouse Rock" bands operating mostly in Canada during the years 1984-1990 (their peak period of popularity would have been 1986-1988). I'll also add their best known hit song:

Boulevard/Blvd - "Never Give Up"
The Arrows - "Meet Me in the Middle"
The Box - "Closer Together"
Kim Mitchell - "Go for a Soda"
Cats Can Fly - "Flippin' to the A-Side"
Eight Seconds - "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)"
Honeymoon Suite - "Feel It Again"
Eye Eye - "Out on a Limb"
Frozen Ghost - "Should I See"
Haywire - "Dance Desire"
Paul Janz - "I Go to Pieces"
Rock and Hyde - "Dirty Water"
Paradox - "Waterline"
Partland Brothers - "Soul City"
One to One - "Angel in My Pocket"

A few tangential examples: Glass Tiger, Platinum Blonde, Chalk Circle, MIchael Breen, mid-to-late 80s Gino Vanelli, Tom Cochrane/Red Rider, Alta Moda, The Northern Pikes, Belinda Metz

And a couple more tangential examples outside of Canada: Mr. Mister, The Outfield, Thinkman

Those are the ones that I remembered/retrieved. Have I missed anyone for those of my fellow music geeks that are familiar with THIS fascinating, retroactive subgenre of rock music?