For years, Toronto’s The OBGMs have pushed the boundaries of Canadian punk rock. Self-described as the “greatest show in punk. Period.,” the band has cultivated a reputation for explosive live performances, establishing themselves as one of Canada’s most exciting acts.
But despite being known for their blend of punk, hardcore, and garage rock, The OBGMs point to hip-hop, R&B, soul, gospel, battle-rap and Caribbean influences as the foundation of their sound. While those genres may seem worlds away from mosh pits and distorted guitars, they are inseparable from the music the band makes today.
The OBGMs (left to right): Colanthony Humphrey, Densil McFarlane, Simon Outhit, Joseph Brosnan.
Unlike many artists in the genre, frontman and guitarist Densil McFarlane and drummer Colanthony Humphrey arrived at punk by an unconventional route. Originally a hip-hop duo, they approached the genre without many of the musical reference points typically associated with rock.
“Since we didn’t grow up listening to rock music at all, our foundation is still inspired by a lot of hip-hop, R&B, soul and gospel.” McFarlane told the JUNOS. “So how we approach the genre is rooted in other [sounds].”
Rather than leaving those influences behind, The OBGMs carried them into punk. The band specifically cites their “bravado” and “blackness” as qualities that shape their music and live performances, helping define a sound and stage presence that is distinctly their own.
Yet despite punk’s ethos of challenging convention and rejecting the status quo, The OBGMs have often found themselves having to justify their place within the genre. For McFarlane, that contradiction speaks to a broader misunderstanding of punk itself. He has argued that the values at the heart of the genre, including resistance, frustration, and defiance, have long been intertwined with Black experience, even if that connection is not always recognized.
That disconnect was apparent early in the band’s career when the OBGMs were frequently booked on R&B and hip-hop bills despite making music that increasingly leaned toward rock. At the same time, they also faced the challenge of navigating a scene where Black punk artists were few and far between.
“As a Black person making rock music, we are not represented in that space, in the mainstream, most often,” McFarlane told CBC Music in 2020. “When people are thinking about the top bands, they’re not thinking about bands with people that look like me.”
But any doubts about The OBGMs’ place within rock are answered by the band’s track record. From sharing stages with Billy Talent, PUP, and Death From Above 1979 to earning a 2026 JUNO Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year and a second Polaris Music Prize Short List nod for SORRY, IT’S OVER, the band has established itself as one of the most original voices in the country’s alternative music scene.
Loud, brash, and undeniably punk, The OBGMs are proof that Black music is not confined by specific genre or space, and that some of the most exciting work happens when artists bring new perspectives to familiar forms.
Feature image: The OBGMS at the JUNO Awards Gala. Hamilton Convention Centre. March 28 2026. Photo Credit CARAS Vito Amati.jpg
