Hamilton’s most lovable weirdos, Doctor Tongue, are back with a brand-new single, “Higher,” out NOW via Jetpack Records. Blending funk rock, alternative, and soul with a poet’s heart and a glam-rock glint in the eye, the track is both a celebration of fantasy and a hard stare into the mirror. It’s seductive, surreal, and surprisingly heartfelt—like if Prince, Parliament, and the ghost of Carl Jung all split a cab home from band practice.
“We can get high, we can get high, we can get higher,” sings frontman George Panagopoulos, as the band launches into a full-bodied groove laced with cinematic flair and off-kilter sensuality. But this isn’t just about getting lit—it’s about rising, about claiming joy, about choosing wonder over numbness in a world designed to flatten you. "It’s a big sweaty hug of a song," says George. "But it’s also about those strange moments when you’re standing in the shadow of a dying star, wondering who you are.”
“Higher” is the band’s seventh single and a defining piece of their upcoming debut album, 3D House of Mayhem, arriving June 2025. The lyrics play like a series of fever dreams: “You can Kama Sutra, I can instant cream / We can find each other on the silver screen / You’ll be Cleopatra, I’ll be James Dean…” It’s chaotic, cinematic, oddly romantic—and completely Doctor Tongue.
Listen on Spotify here:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2SmOQnAphTv46MkOVHyzVF?si=740411fa4d6349c4\
Formed in the twilight of the COVID era, Doctor Tongue made their debut in 2022 at Come Together Music Festival in Durham, Ontario. Not long after, tragedy struck when founding guitarist Dylan Matthews passed away. Many bands would have retreated. Tongue doubled down. “Dylan’s death was shattering,” George reflects. “But he’s become our fuel. Everything we do now is in his honour. Every gig, every groove—it’s for him.”
The current lineup includes Mark McMaster on drums, Tom Bigas on percussion, Johnny Nixon on guitar, Liam Brown on bass, and co-writer Jethro Mann on guitar and vocals. Each member brings a kaleidoscope of musical influences, from hip-hop to soul to gritty garage rock. What ties them together isn’t genre—it’s energy, raw and real, and a shared refusal to play by the music industry’s algorithmic rules.
“Doctor Tongue is a flagrant revolution against the Plinko board that the music industry has become,” the band says. “While algorithms try to isolate and define you, we’ve evolved to break free.” And it’s working. With six previous singles and over 300,000 Spotify streams under their belt, they’ve built a cult following the old-fashioned way—song by song, show by show, soul by soul.
A band built for the stage; Doctor Tongue has earned a reputation for sweat-soaked, euphoric live shows that blend musicality with theatricality. “They’re the real deal,” says six-time Grammy-winning producer Ross Hogarth. “People are going to fall in love with this band.” And that’s not just industry hyperbole—the band’s last club gig sent Corktown Tavern’s bar sales through the roof, according to staff. “It’s a strange energy that takes over,” they say. “Everyone wants to celebrate.”
“Higher” was recorded with the same ferocious spontaneity the band brings to their live sets. “We don’t overthink it,” says George. “We let the song lead us. We let the weirdness in. We let ourselves be real. ‘Higher’ came together like a dream you don’t fully understand but somehow remember forever.”
The single arrives just in time for the band’s next live show, April 5 at The Warehouse in St. Catharines, a prelude to more dates coming this summer in support of their full-length LP. And for those keeping score: yes, “Higher” drops on 4/20. No, it’s not subtle. Yes, you should turn it up loud and blast it into space.
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