JXM: Your musical tastes are very diverse, with influences ranging from Radiohead to System of a Down to the Beastie Boys. Do you feel it shows in the evolution of your sound over the years leading up to Never Look Back Here Again?

Steve: I guess we're mostly inspired by classic pop songwriting, dance/electronica, metal and british indie and the album is naturally a reflection of that. I think it's important for a musician to be open minded to all kinds of music because you can find inspiration in the most unlikely of sources.

Never Look Back Here Again

JXM: Before recording the new album, what did you envision the record to be? How close was it to the finished product?

Steve: I think despite the limited time and budget we had to record it, we did pretty well. We had a clear idea of what we wanted it to sound like and our producer, Greg Haver did a pretty close job considering the challenge of recording and mixing an album in 6 days!

JXM:It would be difficult to pigeonhole the feeling one gets from the new release. Emotionally the album ranges from up-tempo to melancholic to tranquil. Was this intentional? Did you aim for a specific sound for this record?

Steve: we never really thought about it, we just write how we're feeling at the time and those emotions and atmospheres will be different every time. When we were ready to record an album, we started to think about sonic and emotional continuity in the context of an album and how it would flow. We wanted the album to feel like a journey lyrically and musically and I think we achieved that.

JXM: What were your influences when recording the album? What were you listening to at the time?

Steve: We were quite isolated when recording the album, we didn't have much contact with anything but ourselves and our music. We did play quite a lot of NFL ice hockey on the playstation though.

JXM: What was your process in the making of Never Look Back Here Again? Does the music come before the lyrics or vice versa?

Steve:For the most part, the process involved Mike bringing a nice vocal melody, some chords and a rhythmic idea to the rehearsal room, then we'd jam it out with the whole band until a song takes shape. We all like to get involved with each other's parts and bounce ideas off each other. The lyrics usually come after the main vibe of the song is set.

JXM: Thematically, the record seems to be about letting go of the past, but using it as a positive learning experience to continue moving forward in life. Is this is a fair assessment? What does the record mean to you thematically?

Steve:That's totally accurate. We've been through quite a lot of hard times and ridiculous bad luck over the last couple of years, but we're stronger because of it and I hope that determination and energy comes across in the record and it creates something positive.

The Future

JXM: You'll be touring heavily in England. Are there plans to tour the new record in North America and the rest of the world?

Steve: Hopefully we'll be coming over to Canada soon to play some shows in support of the record. The album's set to come out in quite a few other countries and hopefully we'll be touring Europe and Japan later this year.

JXM: Where do you see your sound going in the future? Are you already thinking about the next album and where you're going musically?

Steve: We started thinking about the next album as soon as Never Look Back was finished. We're proud of the songs on that record but the new material we're writing is definitely stepping up a gear. We're refining our sound and being a little more adventurous. I think our band has the potential to move in many directions and we're excited as to where we go next.

JXM: With the inclusion of a remix of Beautiful Ruin in the Canadian release, have you ever thought about collaborations with other musicians? Who would be your dream to work with?

Steve: We've always loved the idea of having a cool dance music producer like Pendulum, DJ Shadow or The Chemical Brothers to produce an album with us, that would be amazing. And a close-harmony duet with PJ Harvey!

JXM: Well thanks so much for talking with us!

Steve: Thank you!