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.”
Paranoid Freak
The Trews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get it stuck in your head
I'm singing along cant help it
Kids starting to whine
Exploding my mind
Satan get me behind
I'm saturated
[Chorus]
It's closing in on me its closing in on me its closing in
If you see something don't say something to me
I'm a paranoid freak
Alright
I'm a man on the brink
I've had too much to think
I'm a paranoid freak
Alright
Joe
Average guy
Needs more things to mind
Spoon feed me a lie I'll eat it
i'm on a bad trip
Too many loose lips
All rocking my ship and i'm sinking
[Chorus]
If you see something don't say something to me.
I'm a paranoid freak
I'm a paranoid freak
Is this freedom in formation or is this mass until notation.
In the land of the free
Stand on god above me
i'm a vigilante
I'm captivated
If you see something don't say something to me
I'm a paranoid freak
Alright
I'm a man on the brink
Give me something to treat
I'm a paranoid freak
Alright
If you see something don't say something to me
I'm a paranoid freak [Repeat: x10]
The Trews's song "Paranoid Freak" is an introspective lyric about the struggles of the mind with the various issues of daily life. The opening lyrics describe how music can get stuck in your head and how you can't help but sing along to that bad song. The singer then goes on to talk about the overwhelming feeling of life exploding in one's head and how Satan is pushing them towards saturation. The chorus goes on to describe the feeling of the world closing in, and how the singer is becoming increasingly paranoid, to the point of being called a paranoid freak. The lyrics seem to imply that there is too much going on in the world, and it is becoming difficult to keep up with everything.
The next verse describes an average guy named Joe, who needs more things to mind, even if it's a spoon-fed lie. The singer is on a bad trip, and there are too many loose lips, which are rocking his ship, causing him to sink. The second chorus is similar to the first, emphasizing the overwhelming feeling of paranoia closing in, and the singer being on the brink of collapse. The final verse brings religious and political undertones into the song. The lyrics talk about freedom and the inequality faced by the singer, who feels like he's been condemned to vigilance because of his situation. These lines seem like a protest against authority figures and their power dynamics that can lead to paranoia and loss of control.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey sing a bad song
Start singing a song with bad lyrics
Get it stuck in your head
Make it hard to forget the bad song
I'm singing along cant help it
Despite knowing its bad, I can't stop humming that song
Kids starting to whine
The lyrics are getting too much for the younger generation to handle
Exploding my mind
The bad song is ruining my mental peace
Satan get me behind
I'm starting to believe in evil after listening to the song
I'm saturated
I've had enough of the bad song
It's closing in on me its closing in on me its closing in
The bad song is suffocating me
If you see something don't say something to me
Please don't discuss the bad song with me
I'm a paranoid freak
I'm overly concerned that people will talk about the bad song
Alright
It's okay
I'm a man on the brink
I'm about to lose my sanity
I've had too much to think
It's hard to focus on anything else except the bad song
Joe
The average person
Average guy
A normal human being
Needs more things to mind
Requires better things to occupy the mind
Spoon feed me a lie I'll eat it
I'll believe anything as long as it's presented well enough
i'm on a bad trip
I'm experiencing a negative emotion
Too many loose lips
Too many people are speaking negatively
All rocking my ship and i'm sinking
Everyone's negativity is bringing me down
Is this freedom in formation or is this mass until notation.
I'm questioning whether what I'm hearing is truly free speech or just propaganda
In the land of the free
In a country that promotes freedom
Stand on god above me
God is considered superior to human existence
i'm a vigilante
I'm an individual fighting for my values in my own way
I'm captivated
I'm fully invested in my beliefs
Give me something to treat
Distract me with something positive
I'm a paranoid freak [Repeat: x10]
I'm extremely anxious, and I can't help it
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind