EPK – DOLL – Better Days, Better Times (2025)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelaitons[.]com
“This release marks a shift—more collaborators, new instruments, fresh energy running through the tracks. We’ve moved beyond the borders of the last two records, drawn from new experiences, and let the songs grow without constraint. It’s more honest, more personal. Still dark. Still unmistakably Doll. Just with a few more layers in the songs. With this album, we wanted to pull listeners in closer to what’s top of mind to us, our values, our experiences. It’s not just something to hear; it’s something to sit and listen to. It’s less about the volume this time, more about the weight behind the lyrics.” – DOLL
Band: Doll
Album Title: Better Days, Different Times
Release Date: July 18, 2025
Label: Self-Release
For fans of SoftCult, Amyl and the Sniffers, Scowl, Nobro, The Pretty Reckless
Doll.bandcamp.com | Facebook.com/dollband | Spotify | Youtube.com/@insidethedollhouse
“#1 Doll – Zach’s Picks of the Week – July 7 – 12, 2025 – Canadian Beats
“In one of the best comeback stories in music in 2025, Canadian Alt-Rock duo DOLL will release their first new collection of material since 2011’s The Ragdoll Diaries… In addition to five slamming originals, DOLL chips in an inspired take on the Deep Purple classic rock anthem – “Smoke On the Water!” “- Ghost Cult Magazine
“Doll sharpens their grit with new muscle and melody. Their return after more than a decade is not a nostalgia trip but a rebirth. The Ottawa band’s forthcoming EP Better Days, Different Times (July 18th) expands their core formula of raw energy and no-frills honesty by inviting new players and broader sonic choices into the mix. But even with cello flourishes and genre jumps, their identity remains firmly intact.” – Amplify The Noise
“The new track ‘Shark Bait’ from Doll is a blast! The world has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of “JAWS” and now we have a brand new punk-fueled bite in the pants to go along with all of the bloody hoopla. ‘Shark Bait’ is basically straight ahead hardcore riffage with razor sharp teeth, fun lyrics and a precursor to their new EP, ‘Better Days, Different Times’ set for a July 18th release. Catch it on your Home for the Best New Rock… W-J-O-EEEE” – WJOE – Findlay’s Home for Rock & Roll
“DOLL has returned as potent and as impressive as they were before but with greater impact we suggest, Better Days, Better Times quite simply a must exploration for punk and feral rock hearts.” – The Ring Master Review
“Christina Kasper’s changeable voice is impressive.” – Keep On Rocking
“‘Bleeding’ is a colourful mixture of Hard and Alternative Rock, paired with influences from Punk and Gothic, in a very melancholic sounding melody. The powerful voice of singer Christina Kasper dominates like a siren. ” – Metal Heads Forever Magazine
“The Rag Doll Diaries” is the story of a road weary/world weary band with so much to say and share. Its the combination on heartache and despair offered with a hand meant for holding. In other words here is real music for the real world.” – Heavy Metal Time Machine (2013 – The Ragdoll Diaries)
“Doll was conceived as a bridge between punk and rock, a bridge that was fulfilled in the early ’90s by bands like Nirvana and the mid-’90s by Foo Fighters… A good punk band doesn’t write about the joys of picking daisies and Doll is no exception.” – The Whig Standard (Kingston, ON) (2013)
“Doll provides a missing link between punk and rock.” – The Intelligencer (Belleville, ON) (2013)
“The four-piece are definitely reminiscent of the grunge era and have provided a concise four-word biography of the band: “Rock N’ Fucking Roll.” – Exclaim! (2011 – The Ragdoll Diaries)
“One of the most striking aspects of Inside The Dollhouse, after Christina’s whiskey-and-hell voice, is a fictional character by the name of Sally created to carry the songs. A concept completely unexpected given the band’s twentysomething youth, immediately reminiscent of Alice Cooper’s infamous character Steven, introduced on Welcome To My Nightmare in 1975.” – Bravewords (2010 – Inside the Dollhouse)
“The debut from Ottawa’s Doll caught me instantly like a fish on a hook. This is serious music. Dark, intense and magnetic, this is the kind of gritty ’90s grunge that doesn’t fuck around. Fronted by the vocally vicious Christina Kasper, Doll recall an angry and confused era of music devoid of pop but not catchiness. Kasper howls in the vein of Courtney Love and Brodi Dalle, and while the lyrics are simple and not exactly fresh, they are impacting. Songs like “Perfect” deal with trying to live up to society’s standards, while “Sally Lost Her Shoelaces” and “Daddy’s Little Girl” deal with hurt, confusion and heroin against a backdrop of chunky guitars, assaulting drums and badass attitude. Julie-Anne Madore’s backing vocals add a whispered, haunting feel to this record. If the dirty rock’n’roll alone doesn’t reel you in, nothing will.” – Exclaim (2009 – Inside the Dollhouse)
Album Title: Better Days, Different Times
Release Date: July 18, 2025
1. Bleeding – 4:32
2. Shark Bait – 3:07
3. Smoke on the Water – 4:26
4. Scene Dream – 4:28
5. Ends Like This – 3:24
6. Goodbye – 3:27
Album Length: 23:29
All songs performed by: Doll
All songs written by: Doll
Produced by: Josh Hart, Jason Jaknunas
Mixed by: Josh Hart
Mastered by: Josh Hart
Album Artwork by: Mark KiddAlbum Lineup
Guitar: Pete Kasper
Guitar, Vocals, Bass: Christina
Drums: Chris Zimmerman – Smoke on the Water,
Josh Hart – All the Rest
Cello: Raphael Weinroth-Browne
Keys: Phil Campbell
Extra Guitars : Athanasios Maravelis
About The Album Artwork:
The album’s artwork is a throwback to our childhood, and how BMX was king, and really focusing on what really matters, it is having fun, exploring, living life in real time, not on devices. We wanted to highlight that raw emotion with the bike under the street light, slightly ominous and mysterious.
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
The new album takes you on a journey of different musical genres that we enjoy.
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
1. Bleeding
The Bleeding is one that came out of watching True Detective, actually, the last season, we were huge fans of the season, and that influenced us lyrics and musically, making it that darker feel but with lots of single notes, which is more than we used to ever do before. There is homage to the trauma that the Indigenous People went through in Canada.
2. Shark Bait
Shark Bait was a fun some that we had come up with after playing around with some hardcore style riffing and our passion for the Jaws movies. We have always had a strong attraction to shark movies, and when Pete came up with the riff for the chorus, it just felt so right with the “Shark Bait” vocals, everything was clicking, and we just went for it.
3. Smoke on the Water
We have always done a cover version with each release of Doll, with White Wedding ,and JailBreak,
Smoke was another one that came together really quickly. We loved the original, but after seeing all the fires and the destruction that happened in 2024, there was this need to bring forward our own version of the song. We updated the lyrics to match how the disasters had made us feel, and musically, we have always wanted to try a more doom-inspired vibe, and this song let us express ourselves in a raw and emotional way.
4. Scene Dream
I think every band has been here, where the goal is always the same: to become “big”, whatever that means or looks like to you and whatever music you’re playing. As much as everyone says that they are playing for fun, there is always that hope that you “make it” and connect with an audience, if that means playing to 10 people to some or playing arenas to others. As much as we are playing for ourselves, the feeling you feel that someone else wants to hear your songs is amazing. This song talks to the pressures of others in the pursuit of making it in your scene.
5. Ends Like This
This song is about the struggles of being in a relationship. No matter how hard you try, and the promises made on both sides, sometimes all of that is moot, and nothing you do can prepare you for the outcome.
6. Goodbye
This is a personal song for Christina about losing her mom early on in life, with her own personal battles with pain. The hope is that this one may help others who may be going through similar circumstances.
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Fun Facts:
1. Christina and Pete are married.
2. They have been supporting and pioneering the Ottawa local scene by organizing shows in the area for over 20 years.
3. On tour, we always had hot and sour soup in every city.
4. Our first out of town runs of shows, we didn’t even have a band van, which we ended up finding late night the day before, purchased off someone privately, and had insured and plated the next morning before driving off in our amazing two tone brown GMC Safari (RIP), the best van ever created.
5. Everyone was a huge fan of Sonic Youth
After a long hiatus, Doll is back from the dead with a new album.
Doll is a Canadian alternative rock band from Ottawa, Ontario.
In 2009, Doll released their first album, Inside The Dollhouse. A video was also filmed for “Daddy’s Little Girl”, their first single, which played on MuchMusic and MusiquePlus. A second video was created for their second single, “Sally Lost Her Shoelaces”. Madore left the band a few years after,r and Paquette returned in her place.
In 2011, they released their second album, The Ragdoll Diaries.[5][6] Two singles/videos came out of this: “FMO” and “Youth of Today, Hope for Tomorrow”. This album was not only released in CD format, but also on vinyl. Soon after, Alex Vance was recruited to fill the bass position.[7]
Doll has been opening support for Three Days Grace, Lacuna Coil,[8] Danko Jones, Spinnerette, Protest the Hero, Band of Skulls, Anvil, Halestorm, SNFU, Hanzel Und Gretyl, Civet, The Creepshow, Die Mannequin, and many more.
Discography:
2025 – Better Days, Different Times
2011 – The Ragdoll Diaries
2009 – Inside the Dollhouse
Tours and Festivals:
2011 – Ottawa Bluesfest
2011 – IndieWeek
2011 – NXNE
2011 – Montebello Rockfest
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