EPK – DOLL – Snakes and Ladders (2026)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“We would say that following the reception we had to the first few songs in the Animal Crackers trilogy, with ‘Shark Bait’ and ‘Bear Claw’, we feel like we’ve hit a stride where our fans expect the unexpected at this point. ‘Snakes and Ladders’ is the final piece, and we think (and hope) its going to be received as a really cool mix of the Doll evolution, going into a D standard tuning as a throw back to the grunge sound of old and incorporating the elements of the new darker tone and feel, sprinkled in with a bunch of harmonics, and of course the signature Christina vocal style, Snakes and Ladders provides the rasp, the drive and the bang to be a banger. We’ve always said this project was about having fun and exploring new sounds and styles. We’re confident that ‘Snakes and Ladders’ will land just as hard—if not harder than Shark Bait or Bear Claw.” – DOLL
For fans of SoftCult, Amyl and the Sniffers, Scowl, Nobro, The Pretty Reckless
Doll.bandcamp.com | Facebook.com/dollband | Spotify | Youtube.com/@insidethedollhouse
All Digital Platforms – https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/doll14/snakes-and-ladders
What the press has said about DOLL:
!earshot – August 2025 – Top 20 Loud – #5 – DOLL – Canadian Campus Radio Charts (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
!earshot – August 2025 – Top 200 – #55 – DOLL – Canadian Campus Radio Charts (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“#1 Doll – Zach’s Picks of the Week – July 7 – 12, 2025 – Canadian Beats (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“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 (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“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 (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“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 (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“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 (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“Christina Kasper’s changeable voice is impressive.” – Keep On Rocking (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“‘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 (2025 – Better Days, Better Times)
“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)
Band: DOLL
Single Title: Snakes and Ladders
Release Date: May 29, 2026
Label: Grunge Never Died, You Did Records
Distribution: DistroKid
Genre: Hard Rock, Punk, Grunge
Location of Band: Ottawa, Ontario
Single Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Doll
• All songs written by: Doll
• Produced by: Josh Hart
• Mixed by: Josh Hart
• Mastered by: Josh Hart
• Single Artwork by: Mark Kidd
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Single Band Line Up: Pete Kasper, Christina Kasper, Josh Hart
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About The Single Artwork:
Oh, this one is super crazy; it’s almost like we manifested the opportunity by picking the song title to be Snakes and Ladders. We were walking through a thrift store, and out of nowhere, a full-on board game version of the game, with the classic packaging from who knows when. We took a photo of the original box, and it was perfect.
Really makes you wonder, are we living in some video game simulation itself? As soon as you start thinking about something, it always seems to appear in some form, it’s like when you never notice a certain car or shirt, but then the moment you get one, its like you see them non-stop.
Finding that board game, at exactly that moment, it’s a coincidence that just played out so perfectly, there was no point in going a different direction. This was the cover art that was meant to be.
About the single as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
Musically, Snakes is a real fun one for us to play, we did a lot of harmonics which we never did a lot in the past, we brought in a lot of the classic feel with the in your face quick riffs, and vocally with the performance dialing up the grit and angst in the delivery, it’s a great song to move to and get some issues out.
Lyrically, it’s a classic tale of boy meets girl, girl kills boy. LOL.
Just kidding.
The messaging is an uplifting anthem fighting back against the bullshit, whether that be the snakes in suits that pretend to want to help you, but are just in it for a paycheck. This was our take on hopefully giving some sense that no matter what, you have to be yourself and never give up.
As the song says, “I refuse to play your game.” Remember to always ask questions, keep things in perspective, and don’t just drink the Kool-Aid blindly.
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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
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After a long hiatus, Doll returned in 2025 with a brand‑new album, and they’re keeping the momentum going with a follow‑up 2026 single, “Bear Claw,” releasing January 16th.
Doll is a Canadian alternative rock band from Ottawa, Ontario.
In 2009, Doll released their first album, Inside The Dollhouse. A video was filmed for their debut single, “Daddy’s Little Girl,” which aired on MuchMusic and MusiquePlus. A second video was filmed for their next single, “Sally Lost Her Shoelaces.” Madore left the band a few years later, with Paquette returning to take her place.
In 2011, they released their second album, The Ragdoll Diaries. Two singles and videos emerged from this release: “FMO” and “Youth of Today, Hope for Tomorrow.” The album was issued on both CD and vinyl. Soon after, Alex Vance joined the lineup as the new bassist.
Over the years, Doll has shared the stage with an impressive roster of artists, opening for Three Days Grace, Lacuna Coil, 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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