Alvvays Discuss the Hidden Ted Nugent Voicemail in One of Their Songs

"Not to be confused with hippies in Toronto"

Photo: Chris Gee

BY Alex HudsonPublished Aug 21, 2023

Alvvays are masters at meticulous pop arrangements, as they pack their songs full of melodies, riffs and sonic details. Now, the group have revealed an Easter egg from of their albums that no one has ever noticed: a snippet of a voicemail from NRA blowhard Ted Nugent.

Participating in a Reddit Q&A session on Friday (August 18), the band's core members Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan and Alec O'Hanley were asked about lyrical references in their songs that no one has ever picked up on. They wrote in response, "we slipped a ted nugent voicemail sample in one of our songs, neither he or the provincial ministry he was calling have come a-calling."

As Reddit user Chilli_Dipper pointed out, this is likely referring to 2017's Antisocialites track "Saved by a Waif," in which an echo-soaked voice can be heard saying, "Not to be confused with hippies in Toronto."

It's unclear exactly why Nugent was calling a provincial ministry, or how Alvvays got their hands on the recording — but given the gun-obsessed rocker's long history of complaining about hippies, it sheds some light on the snippet.

Hear "Saved by a Waif" below. The sample can be heard at the 2:26 mark.

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