Latest news with #flexing
Scoop
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Drain Announce New Album '...Is Your Friend'
Hardcore Santa Cruz, CA trio DRAIN are back and announcing their new album '...IS YOUR FRIEND' today, due for release on November 7th via Epitaph Records. After crushing all expectations with 2023's 'LIVING PROOF' and spending the subsequent year on the road, the new record finds these best friends playing at the top of their game and flexing their instinctive chemistry. Leading with bouncy hardcore banger 'Nights Like These,' vocalist Sammy Ciaramitaro pauses to discuss the lifelong goals that have now become Drain's average Tuesday: 'Over the last decade of doing DRAIN, I've been able to see the world, meet incredible people, experience all sorts of incredible highs and even a couple of lows - but most importantly, I got to do all of those things with my best friends. No matter how much we accomplish and how big we grow - we are still just a couple of friends who get to play music together, make memories all over the world, and we are SO aware of how lucky we are to do it. THAT is what "Nights Like These" is about.' The Derek Rathbun-directed music video splits between footage of the band's rowdy live show in 2025 and fast-forwards to them displaying the same onstage energy thirty years later but utilizing the members' dads and uncle as stunt doubles. 'When we were coming up with ideas for this video, I thought it would be so cool to try and make us look old and play a show as seniors,' Ciaramitaro explained. 'We could have gone the route of using make-up and practical effects, but then it clicked in my brain...I am going to look just like my dad when I get old - I should just use him.' Enthused about witnessing his 61-year-old father stage dive for the first time, he adds, 'The fact that we got to share this special night with the people who shaped us to be the men we are today - means SO much to all of us. I hope that everyone enjoys watching it as much as we all enjoyed getting to make it happen. Shout out to Stu, Frankie, and Donny!' There's no other hardcore band like DRAIN. The Santa Cruz band is an institution in their genre and an affable neighbor to their adjacent ones. Punks love Drain. Metalheads love DRAIN. Haters can't help but love DRAIN. DRAIN is for everyone. Well, venue security guards might not love DRAIN. But to everyone else: DRAIN …Is Your Friend. DRAIN (Ciaramitaro, guitarist Cody Chavez, and drummer Tim Flegal) formed back in 2014 and cut their teeth in Santa Cruz's fertile DIY hardcore scene. COVID lockdown couldn't stop their 2020 debut, California Cursed, from making waves, and their 2023 follow-up, LIVING PROOF, hit the hardcore scene like a Cali beach during hurricane season -- a torrential classic. Since then, DRAIN have blazed through hundreds of shows worldwide: headlining festivals, taking their friends and heroes on tour, and even playing arenas with Blink-182. Regardless of whether they're opening for pop-punk jukeboxes like Neck Deep or grabbing the stage-dive torch from Terror, DRAIN's only goal is to make the crowd go buck wild. With their third full-length album and second for Epitaph Records, …IS YOUR FRIEND, DRAIN had two primary goals in mind: to capture their quintessential live essence on recording, and to write new songs that'll make their next shows even crazier. Their previous albums were written before DRAIN were on the road all year, and they spent the last few hundred nights onstage making note of which songs their fans respond best to. …IS YOUR FRIEND is designed to maximize their audience's shit-losing abilities. Its ten songs include the heaviest mosh parts, the catchiest choruses, the tastiest thrash riffs, and the most scream-able lyrics DRAIN have ever written. Producer Jon Markson (The Story So Far, Drug Church, One Step Closer) tracked the whole album live -- 100% real-time drums, no metronome, no programmed bullshit. It sounds the way DRAIN was always meant to: crisp, serrated, animated. Over the years, they have gotten bigger, their crowds have gotten more diverse, and their music has become more eclectic. But Ciaramitaro underscores what this album makes abundantly clear: their founding ethos remains unchanged. 'DRAIN is your friend, DRAIN was your friend, DRAIN will forever be your friend.' …IS YOUR FRIEND Tracklisting 1. Stealing Happiness From Tomorrow 2. Living In A Memory 3. Scared Of Everything And Nothing 4. Nothing But Love 5. Can't Be Bothered 6. Loudest In The Room 7. Nights Like These 8. Who's Having Fun? 9. Darkest Days 10. Until Next Time
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Supremex Inc (SUMXF) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Financial Performance Amid Challenges
Release Date: February 20, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Supremex Inc (SUMXF) reported solid fourth-quarter financial results with improved envelope volume for the third consecutive quarter. Optimization initiatives have significantly improved margins and absolute dollar gains in both the envelope and packaging segments. The company successfully completed a major consolidation project in the Greater Toronto area, leading to recurring rent savings and a more efficient operating network. Supremex Inc (SUMXF) achieved a cost savings run rate of more than $2 million annually due to optimization efforts. The packaging segment recorded its first year-over-year folding carton revenue growth in several quarters, attributed to new business wins and recovery in the health and beauty channel. Envelope revenue was down 3.5% year-over-year due to lower average selling prices outweighing slight volume gains. The Canada Post labor disruption in November and December impacted Canadian envelope sales, although volumes remained in line with traditional secular decline. Packaging and specialty products revenue decreased, primarily due to restructuring and the closure of a facility outside Montreal. Free cash flow decreased to $8.7 million from $15.1 million last year, reflecting higher working capital requirements. Potential tariff impacts remain uncertain, with ongoing concerns about cross-border trade affecting the envelope business. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with SUMXF. Q: Can you provide more color on the impact of the Canada Post strike on the quarter and any quantifiable effects? A: Stuart Emerson, CEO: The Canada Post strike had minimal short-term impact on our volume in Canada, which was in line with traditional secular decline. Most mail in Canada consists of bills and statements, which are prepared and eventually delivered despite disruptions. There is no significant immediate impact, and any long-term demand changes are speculative. Q: How might the recent postage increase affect your business, and what are the conversations with clients like? A: Stuart Emerson, CEO: The impact of postage increases on major mailers is not directly correlated to the increase in stamp prices. Major mailers negotiate different pricing with Canada Post, receiving discounts based on mail preparation work. Therefore, the impact on our business is less significant than the headline stamp price increases suggest. Q: Could you discuss potential tariff impacts and how you are preparing for them? A: Stuart Emerson, CEO: Tariffs primarily affect our envelope business. We have taken steps to mitigate potential impacts, such as flexing the supply chain to minimize raw material effects and ensuring our US warehouses are well-stocked. We are prepared to ramp up US production if needed, but with limited information, we are cautious about speculating on the exact impacts. Q: Are there additional factors outside of optimization efforts contributing to EBITDA margin improvements, and can these margins be sustained? A: Francois Bolduc, CFO: Our mix, particularly improvements in the packaging segment, has contributed to margin improvements. While some initiatives may not repeat, we expect continued improvement over the next quarters as we focus on delivering consistent profitability. Q: Regarding capital allocation, will the focus remain on debt reduction and potential M&A in packaging? What opportunities are you seeing? A: Francois Bolduc, CFO: We are focused on organizing operations and exploring options like NCIB or acquisitions. We constantly reassess based on market conditions and see opportunities in both segments of our business for potential M&A. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Express Tribune
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
In the absence of talks
The PTI is flexing its muscles and seems set to hit the streets. It has decided to launch a countrywide anti-government movement after Ramazan by incorporating other opposition forces in its wings. The intensity of proposed agitations could be gauged from the fact that the reclusive BYC as well as JUI-F have been invited to join the mainstream opposition. As a warm-up to the main theatre of protests, the rejuvenated PTI Punjab under Aliya Hamza has called for mass political activities, including workers conventions at district level, from today to make the government feel the heat. This new phase of politicking corresponds with some hectic lobbying in the US. Former president Dr Arif Alvi is in Washington and has met several movers and shakers in the Trump administration with a consolation outcome of 'free Imran Khan' tweets from many Congressmen and Senators. The US Congress has already passed a resolution calling upon Islamabad to cease alleged human rights violations and to work for a political thaw. To what extent it snowballs into a formidable demand from the US to release the incarcerated former PM is anybody's guess, but momentum is picking up as donors and foreign leaders are openly advising step to usher in political stability to pave the way for economic recovery. The PTI this time seems to be in a decisive mood and has opted for some necessary cleansing in its own rank and file. The leadership's nod to expel legislators who did not show up against the 26th amendment is loud and clear, coinciding with the eviction of firebrand MNA, Sher Afzal Marwat. Likewise, restructuring of the party by popping up pro-radical members such as Junaid Akbar in K-P is also a case in point. The onus is on the government to come up with an olive branch and pacify the soaring unrest in PTI by, at least, accepting two of its earnest demands: formation of judicial commissions and release of political prisoners. Cracking down again on the opposition would be a folly. That is so because the country cannot stand a new phase of revulsion, as it would be tantamount to assured destruction.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arch Capital Group (ACGL) Cooled Down in Q4
Madison Investments, an investment advisor, released its 'Madison Mid Cap Fund' fourth-quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the fourth quarter, the fund (Class Y) decreased 1.86% compared to the 0.62% increase for the Russell Midcap Index. The Fund returned 10.46% in the full year 2024 period, compared to 15.34% for the index. In addition, please check the fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2024. Madison Mid Cap Fund highlighted stocks like Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL), in the fourth quarter 2024 investor letter. Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) offers insurance, reinsurance, and mortgage insurance products. One-month return of Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) was 2.67% and its shares gained 14.29% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On January 29, 2024, Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) stock closed at $93.82 per share with a market capitalization of $35.299 billion. Madison Mid Cap Fund stated the following regarding Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) in its Q4 2024 investor letter: "The bottom five detractors for the quarter were Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL), Carlisle Companies, CDW, Floor & Decor Holdings, and Brown-Forman. Following a long period of outperformance, shares in Arch Capital lagged in the fourth quarter. While underwriting results and premium growth continue to be excellent, the industry may be entering the later innings of the hard cycle that began three years ago. We've anticipated this and believe Arch is flexing its business prudently to manage through the cycle." A close-up image of an insurance policy with hands standing firmly on top, conveying security. Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 33 hedge fund portfolios held Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) at the end of the third quarter which was 37 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. In another article, we discussed Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) and shared the list of best insurance stocks for the long term. FMI International Equity Strategy sold its stake in Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) during Q4 2024. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q3 2024 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors. READ NEXT: Michael Burry Is Selling These Stocks and A New Dawn Is Coming to US Stocks. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
