And yet, evidence of a stubborn refusal to play it safe abounds, most notably in the East Coast-bred, Toronto-based rock squad’s eponymous, electrifying new disc, The Trews. It tallies so many firsts that even band members Colin MacDonald, John-Angus MacDonald, Sean Dalton and Jack Syperek cop to being a smidge flabbergasted by their own achievements, 14 Top 10 Canadian radio singles (including two #1s) notwithstanding.
There is, first and foremost, the assured manner in which it was written (through the lens of real life), underwritten (by fan support) and recorded (super-fast alongside marquee producer Gavin Brown). Guests bring flourish – witness Serena Ryder’s smoky vocals on ‘In the Morning,’ a contemplative almost-ballad with lyrics co-written by singer/guitarist Colin MacDonald and his pal, songwriting dynamo Simon Wilcox and buoyed by cellist Anne Bourne’s melancholic accompaniment.
Add in the fact that of late the Trews have been piling up the accolades touring acoustically despite being certified rock brawlers and the net result is something you just don’t see every day: proverbial old dogs issuing some seriously new tricks.
“I think with every record, you are kind of re-applying for the job,” chuckles guitarist John-Angus MacDonald. “There are so many bands out there, so many good ones, the fact that we get to keep going is a privilege. And as much as you get better and wiser with your craft, you still have to be ear-to-the-ground competitive. There is pressure in that.”
There are also wicked-cool rewards in that, none greater than the Trews’ daring and wildly successful PledgeMusic campaign which offered their loyal fans coveted and highly unique access to the band and its recording process in exchange for financial backing.
Everything from Skype chats to drum lessons, lifetime guest list privileges to adding vocals and hand-claps in-studio to songs like ‘New King,’ ‘The Sentimentalist,’ ‘Age of Miracles,’ and ‘Under The Sun’ was snatched up by supporters during the roughly year-long PledgeMusic drive.
“It was so much fun bringing fans into the studio, putting 20 people around a microphone,” Colin MacDonald enthuses. “This whole campaign was a great way to have an even deeper connection with the people who have been supporting us all these years.”
Adds John-Angus MacDonald, “I’d be lying if I said we didn’t have some trepidation at the onset. But it was all about the fan experience. We got to tailor those pledges to what we thought our fans might like, and at the end of it, we got to make a record for fans while giving them access they couldn’t possibly have had otherwise.”
Of course, the whole PledgeMusic exercise would be academic if the Trews weren’t making freaking phenomenal rock and roll full of the hairpin stylistic turns you’d expect from four guys who’ve been playing together daily pretty much all their adult lives.
Take the new album’s blazing first single, ‘What's Fair Is Fair’ which Colin MacDonald describes as “A song I wrote about a relationship falling apart. Sometimes when you cross a line you can't come back.”
And then there is the quaking, spit-drenched ‘New King,’ a biting indictment of bullies on digital pulpits. “We were pissed off and we wrote a song about it. I mean, if you can’t use your rock and roll to tell somebody to go shove it,” John-Angus MacDonald howls, “what the hell good is it?”
At the other end of the sonic spectrum is ‘65 Roses,’ a song inspired by former Trews booking agent Paul Gourlie, who succumbed to Cystic Fibrosis last May at age 37. It is, says John-Angus MacDonald, an illustration of the band feeling comfortable turning the volume down thanks to their acoustic touring, and an example of the impact producer Gavin Brown (see Metric, the Tragically Hip, Billy Talent) had on the new disc.
“The song ‘65 Roses’ was originally presented as an upbeat and rollicking song but the subject matter is quite sad,” the guitarist confirms. “Gavin was really insistent on that song being played as an acoustic number without drums. He saw us performing at Paul’s memorial and I don’t think he would even consider it being anything else.”
Indeed, Brown brought a whole new way of working to bear when he gathered with the Trews – including long-time keyboardist Jeff Heisholt - last fall in their rehearsal space for pre-production before moving the show to Toronto’s Noble Street Studios for “a concentrated two-and-half week session with some additional recording in November, mixing in December and mastering in January,” Colin MacDonald recalls.
“Gavin takes awesome bands and makes them awesome-r,” the singer cracks playfully. “And I think with our band, self-production would be a one-way ticket to divorce. We all respect each other but it’s always good to have that sounding board. Gavin is a giant personality who works quickly with such precision. So we entered that orbit and it made for a really interesting time. I’d do it again tomorrow.”
“For us, working quickly is a function of having our material together,” John-Angus adds, noting that the group amassed some 30 songs between January and May 2013 despite all members “doing a lot of other things. Life was being lived, we were traveling, but I think that fed the writing.
“From there we went about arranging it and making it sound great in the studio which, in my opinion, is much easier than songwriting. With Hope & Ruin” – the Trews’ chart-topping 2011 release cut with Hip bassist Gord Sinclair – “we were writing and recording at the same time and that record took seven months. Taking a kind of church and state approach to writing and recording this time worked really well.”
“I think we are getting better at pinpointing when a song is good and when it’s not,” Colin MacDonald says. “That’s what happens when you make five albums and tour all the time – you can tell a timeless idea from one that rocks hard but gets old fast. If I have to sing these songs 200 nights a year,” he smiles, doubtless envisioning the Trews’ itinerary for the foreseeable, “I want them to be good.”
One By One
The Trews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't find a station on the radio
I'm cold and lonely in the afterglow
An empty bar and uninspired show
I hate myself for being miserable
A six day binge is bound to do it though
I wish that I could be invisible
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
I've been shot down and I've been torn apart
Living out songs about a broken heart
Blinding ambition, stabbing in the dark
And waiting for a better life to start
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
If I fall apart, stumbling in the dark, going way too far
If I fall apart will it leave a scar on my loaded heart if I fall apart
Driving for days through North Ontario
Can't find a station on the radio
I'm cold and lonely in the afterglow
An empty bar and uninspired show
With every turn we learn to take it slow
Redemption waiting further down the road
We change and everything is temporal
And time will tell us where we've got to go
One by one
One by one
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
One by one a heavy heart is a setting sun
The Trews' "One By One" is a song filled with raw emotion that captures the struggles of the performer's life on the road. The lyrics paint a picture of a desolate and empty journey, both physically and emotionally. The song opens with the singer driving aimlessly through North Ontario, unable to find a station on the radio. He is cold, lonely and miserable after a six-day binge. Despite the monotony, he clings to the hope that he and his bandmates will find redemption and purpose on this tour.
The line, 'One by one every heart is a loaded gun' is a central motif in the song, perhaps suggesting that everyone has their own internal battles and that people's emotions can be equally dangerous as firearms. The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song and seems to be a warning about the potential for emotional turmoil that comes when one is on the road for long stretches of time.
At the bridge of the song, the singer admits that he has been shot down and torn apart by his experiences. He exposes his vulnerability and acknowledges that he is stumbling in the dark, unsure of where he is headed next. The song ends on a note of reflective optimism, that highlights the idea that the journey of life is a temporary one, and that time will guide him to where he needs to be.
In summary, "One By One" is a meditation on the raw and difficult life of a musician on tour. The song gently grapples with themes of intimacy, depression, and self-doubt, while a refrain of melancholic resignation runs through it.
Line by Line Meaning
Driving for days through North Ontario
I have been driving for a long time through North Ontario.
Can't find a station on the radio
I cannot find any radio station here, making me feel more lonely.
I'm cold and lonely in the afterglow
My surroundings are cold and lifeless and I feel lonely after the show.
An empty bar and uninspired show
The bar was empty and the show didn't inspire me as I hoped for.
I hate myself for being miserable
I despise myself for feeling sad as I should be happy about where I am.
A six day binge is bound to do it though
I have just ended a six day long drinking binge, and it is natural for me to feel this way.
I wish that I could be invisible
I feel so low and out of place that I wish to disappear from everyone's sight.
We're three weeks in and out of control
We have been going for three weeks, and we are now out of control.
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
Every person's heart is like a weapon, waiting to unleash their emotions, one by one.
I've been shot down and I've been torn apart
I have experienced heartbreak and pain that has shattered me.
Living out songs about a broken heart
I am living out the songs I made about heartbreak, as they are coming true in my life.
Blinding ambition, stabbing in the dark
My high ambitions and lack of direction feel like a stab in the dark, leaving me lost and confused.
And waiting for a better life to start
I am waiting for something to change and bring me a better life.
If I fall apart, stumbling in the dark, going way too far
If I fail and break down, losing my way and going too far in my emotions,
If I fall apart will it leave a scar on my loaded heart if I fall apart
I wonder if breaking down will cause permanent damage to my already wounded heart.
With every turn we learn to take it slow
At every change, we realize that we must take things slow.
Redemption waiting further down the road
We hope that redemption and peace are waiting for us further ahead.
We change and everything is temporal
We evolve and grow, and everything in this world is temporary.
And time will tell us where we've got to go
Only time can reveal where our paths will lead us.
One by one
One person at a time.
One by one every heart is a loaded gun
Every person has a heart full of emotions that can trigger unexpectedly like a loaded gun.
One by one a heavy heart is a setting sun
As every person's heart becomes heavy, it is like a sunset, waiting to disappear.
Contributed by Nathaniel E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.