By Mark Bowman
As a huge fan of the new album, how has the reception been for you guys over the past few months?
It’s been really wild. With music – or any art really – you second guess yourself so much that you’re never really sure if people will like it or not.
How did you get hooked up with Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever on this tour? And how has it been so far?
You know, we aren’t totally sure. I think they caught some of the record and maybe dug it. Either way, we’re really excited to be hitting the road with them. We’ve been fans of RBCF since they dropped the single “French Press” early last year.
What were some of your biggest influences when writing this record?
Joy Division, Women, and Sonic Youth come to mind. Most of the recording sessions took place throughout the winter, so the cold definitely impacted our mindset when recording.
The record sounds very Canadian to me, and between bands like you guys and The Hecks, it seems like that Calgary inspired discord math-y guitar post-punk (is that a good way to describe it??) is starting to develop a little scene in Chicago. How has the support been for you guys in Chicago?
Chicago has a very supportive, nurturing scene. We’ve been playing together for a while, really refining what we are doing, and the city gave us lots of time to hone in on our sound. A lot of international acts come through, so it’s nice to pull different elements from music scenes different from our own. Definitely influenced by Calgary acts like Women and Preoccupations.
Have you had any particularly great shows in the past year? Where are your favorite cities to play?
For us, playing with Protomartyr at Lincoln Hall last year was one of our favorites. Our album release in New York was pretty great with Patio and Gift Wrap.
It seems like there are a lot of great bands in Atlanta between Omni, Mothers, Red Sea, Warehouse, etc… that might pull a larger crowd for a band like you guys. Have you noticed any correlation between the local scene of bands and how well your music is received?
Definitely. The Omni boys are good friends and we played their 7” release earlier this year. Atlanta is one of our favorite cities to play and the scene there is definitely more conducive than most cities to the style of music we play.
What were some of your favorite records that were released this year? (Side note: for me personally, you guys and RBCF are both in my top 5. I am very excited for this show)
DRINKS – Hippo Lite, Pusha T – Daytona, Amen Dunes – Believe, DJ Koze – Knock Knock, Oneotrix Point Never – Age Of
I happened to run into your drummer at Pitchfork festival last month. Were any other of you guys there that weekend? Were there any stand-out sets for you there?
Yeah, (bassist) Drew (McBride) was there as well. Melkbelly and This Heat were two favorites of ours.
Who has been your favorite band you’ve ever seen live?
Hard to pin down just one band honestly, but Nic did see The Cure in London this summer and was really blown away.
Any final words for the people in Detroit?
Shoutout to Teamsters 299, home of Jimmy Hoffa and Nic’s Grandpa Sam.
