The Mandates

The Mandates were a high-energy garage-punk crew hailing from Calgary, Canada, who tore through the 2010s with a raw, riff-heavy sound that felt like a leather-jacket-clad nod to '70s power pop and proto-punk. Formed in the mid-2000s around the dual guitar/vocal force of Paul Arnusch and Chad Moskaluk, the band built a reputation for sweat-soaked live shows and punchy, hook-filled anthems. Their 2011 debut *Dead in the Face* and 2014’s *In the Back of Your Heart* EP bottled their bratty charm, while their self-titled 2017 album (*S/T*) sharpened their scuzzy melodies into tighter, CBGBs-worthy bangers. Though they called it quits around 2018 after tearing up stages across North America with bands like The Smugglers and Teenage Head, their catalog remains a time capsule of denim-vest rock ’n’ roll attitude.