Octoberman Returns with Chutes After Two Decades of Evolving Lineups

Octoberman delivered Chutes on August 27 through Ishmalia Records. The seventh full-length from the Ontario collective arrives after sessions at Little Bullhorn Studios in Ottawa, where Jarrett Bartlett handled production duties alongside Marc Morrissette and managed engineering responsibilities. The band tracked everything live to two-inch tape without click tracks or isolation screens.

Title: Chutes
Artist: Octoberman
Release Date: 2025-08-27
Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
Description: Octoberman's seventh album Chutes recorded live to two-inch tape at Ottawa's Little Bullhorn Studios, addressing aging and loss through Marc Morrissette's songwriting.

Half the material originated from demo files discovered on an old hard drive, while the remaining songs emerged from more recent writing sessions. “They’re third-party storytelling songs about complete strangers,” Morrissette notes of the older tracks. “The other half are newer and more introspective, capturing the idea of aging, endings, and new beginnings.”

The current lineup features Morrissette on guitar, vocals and synthesizer, Marshall Bureau handling drums and vibraphone, Tavo Diez de Bonilla on bass and vocals, J.J. Ipsen on guitar, and Annelise Noronha contributing accordion, banjo, guitar and background vocals.

Personal loss shaped the album’s thematic direction. The death of Morrissette‘s mother heightened his awareness of impermanence and influenced his songwriting perspective as both father and husband. “Losing an ever-present person in my life made me more afraid of it happening again,” he states. “In the end, it’s like losing a part of yourself that never comes back.”

Marc Morrissette formed Octoberman in Toronto during the early 2000s. The band has released six previous studio albums and two EPs, with their music appearing in television shows including Grey’s Anatomy. They have performed alongside Julie Doiron, Mount Eerie and Owen Pallett during various tours.

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