The Meringues are showing us a different side of themselves with their latest single, “Cry Baby.”

From its opening moments, “Cry Baby” feels noticeably lighter compared to some of the Kingston punk outfit’s older material. But softer doesn’t necessarily mean less Meringues.

Amanda Pants’ raw vocals come through with an emotional vulnerability that sits against the band’s typically abrasive post-punk personality. Short and sweet, “Cry Baby” may just be one of The Meringues’ most vulnerable songs yet — trading some of the chaos and bite we’ve come to expect for something more exposed and intimate.

According to Ted Evans of The Meringues, that shift started right at the song’s conception.

“Amanda wrote this one on guitar, along with the lyrics,” Evans says. “The structure and feel was inspired by Daniel Johnston, while some of the modern lo-fi vibe came from a range of inspirations and things we’ve been wanting to try.”

And while “Cry Baby” might sound like a departure, that seems to be exactly the point.

“Cry Baby is a bit of a departure from our regular sound,” Evans explains. “We don’t ever want to feel limited in our songwriting and what we can release as The Meringues. As long as the songs sound like they’re coming from us and feel genuine, then we’re going to go along with them.”

It’s an interesting place to find The Meringues: unmistakably themselves, but increasingly willing to stretch the boundaries of what that actually means.

“Our new direction has a lot of basis in what we’ve been crafting over the years, but also has been more open lately,” Evans says. “The new material we’ve been working on shows many new sides of The Meringues.”

That new material includes an EP expected in early 2027, although “Cry Baby” won’t appear on it. Evans says the track could instead find a home on the band’s next full-length release.

The song itself was made close to home, recorded in The Meringues’ own studio. Evans handled keys and guitars as well as mixing, while Pants provided vocals, with the pair producing the track together. Mastering was handled by Matt Gauthier.

“Cry Baby” also appears on Go Kick-Ass! 4, a massive 32-song compilation CD.

As for where Kingston gets to hear this new era of The Meringues live? You won’t have to wait long.

The Meringues hit The Toucan on October 30 alongside Passenger Princess and Lumpfish for a punk rock costume party, which feels like a pretty fitting place to see what side of The Meringues shows up next.

Posted: Oct 7, 2026