Former Cartel bassist launches General Assembly with new single "Bad Habit"

Ryan David Roberts, a founding member and former bassist of pop-punk band Cartel, has unveiled his new project, General Assembly. The debut arrives alongside the single "Bad Habit," the first taste of the album Fundamental Balancing, due December 4 through House of Wonders Records.

Roberts started his career near the top. By his early twenties, he had signed to a major label and earned a gold record as bassist and co-writer in Cartel. Frustrated with the band's direction and drawn to a different kind of music, he stepped away and relocated to New York City, sharpening his songwriting and building a sound far from the one that first made his name. Family later brought him to Winnipeg, where he quietly assembled a batch of warped indie-rock songs.

"Bad Habit" was the track that unlocked the record. Roberts walked into Winnipeg's House of Wonders studio with nearly 30 songs, letting the recording process steer the direction. The result paired the angular with the melodic: lyrical basslines, tight drumming, and an off-kilter push and pull between voice and guitar. "Working on 'Bad Habit' was an unexpected joy," Roberts said, adding that it blew up his plans in the best way.

That session sent Roberts and producer Adam Fuhr digging through his existing catalogue for the same spark before he began writing entirely new material to chase it. Fundamental Balancing was produced, engineered and mixed by Fuhr and mastered by Donavan Ostapowich, with contributions from Jasmine Henry, Arielle Beaupré, Eric Ross and Luis Almeida. It arrives December 4 on cassette and streaming services.