Handheld sign with Year of the Sun Records

Canadian skate–punk outfit Handheld have signed with Guelph–based Year of the Sun Records. The band will release their upcoming, self–titled debut album with the label on February 26th, with a tour to follow.

The band's style has drawn comparisons to Face to Face, Screeching Weasel and the Bad Religion. Their drummer, Patrick Dietrich provided the following description of their upcoming record:

"This album is what you get when you take 4 guys, who love fast punk rock music, who have been in the same band, playing the same thing for a really long time, who haven't changed with the times, because they don't really like the times. It embodies everything they have always wanted to hear in a punk rock record. A straight forward, balls to the wall fast and aggressive yet melodic punk rock album without all the fancy–pants bells and whistles of most standard radio friendly so called punk rock bands.

Handheld is currently streaming tracks from forthcoming debut album at their MySpace page, and the video for the group's debut single "World Today" can be seen here, or below by clicking Read More.