Album Review: Public Works, Condo Art

On Public Works’ recording debut, the Toronto sketch trio prove themselves more than capable of shifting from live performance to audio comedy.

Recorded remotely during the pandemic, Alex Kolanko, Connor Low, and Callum Wratten — plus a handful of guests including Aba Amuquandoh and Liz Johnson — blast through 18 sketches in 40 minutes: on opener “Robot,” a TED Talk audience turns on its presenter for building a robot that feels both physical and emotional pain. “A Message from Monster Energy” is an ad for a refined version of the beverage, for “the kind of man whose best shirt has Goku on it.” “D&D” finds a tabletop adventure spiralling into fast food franchising, while “2006 Sleepover” finds friends torn between watching porn or a geopolitical George Clooney thriller. The longest sketch here, “The Dating Game”, clocks in at seven minutes, shifting part-way through from a parody of the title show to a looping cycle of tragic consequence.

Whatever the turn, ridiculous or ribald, every part of Condo Art is dotted with deeply specific one-liners and familiar scenarios turned uniquely absurd. The trio’s detail-oriented energy feels perfectly dialled in for the audio medium.

Condo Art was released April 21, 2021.
Listen to it here.