Toronto pop/ rock band the Elwins are already starting to get some buzz for their latest CD “ Play for Keeps,” which isn’t officially released until Feb. 24.
But it already made CBC's list of 10 albums you need to hear this month.”
The Elwins drop by the Slice, Feb. 23 on the eve of their album release.
they are already well into their tour for the album.
The first single “So Down Low” is number one on CBC's R3-30 (top 30 indie tracks) list as well.
“ It feels really cool. Because when we set out to record the album, we just wanted to have our best songs on it. We didn’t want to do a concept album,” said vocalist/ guitarist Matthew Sweeney, enjoying a day off from the tour in Saskatoon.
“ We had quite a few songs — about 30 or 50 of them. We’re super excited about these ones. We all sat together and put each song to a vote on the ones we liked better and which ones worked the best together,” he said adding seven of the songs that made the final cut were songs they had already been playing live.
“There is a pretty good variety of songs on it and it feels like it shows the new direction we are taking,” he described.
“ On the last album, we were really inspired by ’60s and ’70s pop music. On this one we experimented more with electronic music,” he added.
“ It’s actually the second time we recorded with them,” he said.
They are covering a lot of new ground on this tour. After finishing their Canadian tour on March 14 in Montreal, they begin a tour of Europe beginning in Germany.
“We’re going to Spain for the first time. It’s one of the great thing about being a musician is the opportunity to explore different cultures. You can go on vacation and be productive at the same time.
This will also be their first visit to Lethbridge.
“We like to put a lot of energy into our shows. We also like to step a way a little from our records. So there is a lot of jumping around and a lot of good times,” he said.
There is only a five dollar cover for the show, which begins at 9 p.m. at the Slice, Feb. 23.
