“How are you? Isn’t that so funny we still ask each other that question, after everything we’ve been through?”

In 2019, Toronto-based comedian Jackie Pirico released her debut album, Dream Phone. I listened to it on a drive to Saint John, and the first word that came to mind was sparky — a real-life cartoon character. Pirico winds up and lets loose like Taz from Looney Tunes.

Three years later, after a stretch of comedians performing over Zoom, Pirico returned with her sophomore album, Splash Pad. The release made a splash, earning her a nomination for Comedy Album of the Year at the 2023 Juno Awards. Calling it a splash is an understatement. Splash Pad is a cannonball of delightfully oddball energy. Yes, I’m going all in on the wordplay. The Juno-nominated “salmonella survivor” dives headfirst into energy-efficiency envy, hypochondria, and Meow Mix with feral glee. Pirico might be a “runt for life,” but she’s a larger-than-life presence in Canadian comedy.

Today, Pirico can be heard every weekday morning on Toronto’s Indie88, where she co-hosts The Morning Show with Carlin Burton and Brent Albrecht.

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Listen to Splash on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. Follow Jackie Pirico on Instagram.