Delicate tales of life masked beneath amped-up Canadiana; a
songwriter's band, stirring the irreverent spirit of Neil Young in
their sturdy indie-rock stride; evolved alt-country by four guys
busting their ass.
"... to my mind yearning and hurting haven’t sounded this epic or strangely appealing in ages.” - No Depression
For a band frequently described as ‘driving music’, collisions would be something to steer clear of. However, the formula for a new record seemed ironically hidden inside the collision of many opposing forces.
Hauntario is the sophomore recording by this western Canadian indie-alt-country band, an evolved collection of songs brimming with the layered tensions of their lives, played out between albums.
The record itself was named for two colliding concepts that continued to bubble to the surface. Robb Angus tells us “From the very beginning, the first songs possessed a haunting quality, dark subject matter and melodies that wouldn’t get out of our heads.” Guitarist Glen Erickson adds, “Ontario wouldn’t go away, as a lyric, as a destination, or as the home base in our industry. For a western band it remains a necessary evil, a difficult girlfriend to win over, yet on a different level it possessed so much of what we love about our country.” Both ideas worked, and the concept
crystallized on a recent eastern tour, while the albu …
Delicate tales of life masked beneath amped-up Canadiana; a
songwriter's band, stirring the irreverent spirit of Neil Young in
their sturdy indie-rock stride; evolved alt-country by four guys
busting their ass.
"... to my mind yearning and hurting haven’t sounded this epic or strangely appealing in ages.” - No Depression
For a band frequently described as ‘driving music’, collisions would be something to steer clear of. However, the formula for a new record seemed ironically hidden inside the collision of many opposing forces.
Hauntario is the sophomore recording by this western Canadian indie-alt-country band, an evolved collection of songs brimming with the layered tensions of their lives, played out between albums.
The record itself was named for two colliding concepts that continued to bubble to the surface. Robb Angus tells us “From the very beginning, the first songs possessed a haunting quality, dark subject matter and melodies that wouldn’t get out of our heads.” Guitarist Glen Erickson adds, “Ontario wouldn’t go away, as a lyric, as a destination, or as the home base in our industry. For a western band it remains a necessary evil, a difficult girlfriend to win over, yet on a different level it possessed so much of what we love about our country.” Both ideas worked, and the concept
crystallized on a recent eastern tour, while the album was being mixed.
Despite entertaining numerous production options, Hauntario was made with the same production team that helped TWP achieve “Township”, their 2007 debut, which carved an immediate niche with fans and radio for its unique song-writing and amped-up canadiana. (Earshot top50, CBC Radio 3 top10)
“... the type of record that somehow hits you in the stomach, the mouth and the heart all at the same time” - Herohill
Hauntario continues where “Township” left off, with noticeable alternations between the brothers’ songs, dynamic exchanges between swells and whispers, rock and roots. The familiar influences remain, while more obvious impressions made by current indie flavours have put their mark on the new songs. Pedal steel, organ and piano continue to wash around the band’s foundational guitar-driven delivery, with the signature blend of vocals taking a greater share of the spotlight.
"The band that pride itself on making music perfectly suited to road-tripping have succeeded again with an album that makes a body yearn for the sight of that broken white line disappearing under the front wheels of the car.” - Exclaim!
Blue Rodeo, Neil Young, Old Reliable, The Weakerthans, Wilco, the prairies, the mountains, trains and highways
