Loviet - photo by Em Kristenson

There’s a fine art to writing a song that makes you smirk at the title and then punches you square in the chest two seconds later — and with ‘STIFFY’, Nova Scotia’s Loviet absolutely nails it.

Pulled from the lyric “ya got a stiff upper lip”, this isn’t just a cheeky wink. It’s a razor-sharp play on what it means to keep it together while everything inside is caving in. In a culture that still rewards stoicism over honesty, Loviet rips into that tension with fuzzy guitars, driving drums, and a hook that sticks in your head like neon gum under a nightclub table.

“I wrote this song about playing the devil’s advocate, and the feeling of being misunderstood… I feel this song harnesses that tension between a breaking point and the false projection of having it all together. It also feels like a bit of our reintroduction to rock so I wanted it to pack just as much punch as any of my male counterparts in this genre.”

Mission accomplished. With its punk-adjacent grit and glossy, arena-ready finish, ‘STIFFY’ lands somewhere between sweaty club anthem and festival main-stage fist-pumper.

And if you want to hear it live (you do), she’ll be playing LOUD WOMEN Fest Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 18 October — which means you’ll have the chance to shout ‘STIFFY!’ at the top of your lungs in the best possible context.

By Cassie Fox

I am the founder of LOUD WOMEN, and 'bass Doris' in I, Doris. I write for loudwomen.org often and Louder Than War occasionally. I teach at BIMM London. I love music that stirs big emotions.

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