“On Thursday, some people might be turned off by us forever,” shrugs Wes Marskell, drummer for Toronto-based indie darlings The Darcys. “I mean, we are a band going through a change and there’s always going to be the cliché opposition to that.”
Recently-appointed frontman and long-time guitarist Jason Couse joins Marskell, nestling in a booth at the Red Room. They have the timed synchronicity of people who have spent an obscene amount of time together in the back of a cramped van.
Given that The Darcys have played about 110 shows in the past year, and have been touring Canada almost non-stop since the release of their 2007 debut album, Endless Waters, it’s pretty obvious that the boys have seen each other at their worst. They interact with the intimacy that comes from taking care of a bandmate when he’s puking in his sleep, ganging up on a knife-bearing 16-year-old who’s trying to steal their van in Guelph, and pushing that same van through -42º weather in Kingston to the only repair shop in town.
On March 11 the band, clad in their usual formal attire of vests and bow ties, will take the stage at El Mocambo for Canadian Music Week. They’re experimenting with both material from their upcoming album, Young Believer, and guitarist Couse replacing Kirby Best as their new singer.
“This change is inevitable,” Marskell explains. “Jason’s always been one of the musical backbones of the band.”
“I’m not nervous,” Couse says finally, after a slightly longer than usual pause. “I’m more excited than anything. It’s a lot to wrap my head around—”
“But he’s manned up. He can handle the guitar parts and the vocals now,” Marksell finishes.
“The live show has become more of a force than the old live show,” says Marskell. “It’s definitive, loud, and brazen. It forces you to listen to it. The new record’s not boring. People might not like it, but it definitely won’t be boring.”
“The last eight months have been intense work—all day, every day,” Couse adds. The band recorded their new album in Montreal with producer Murray Lightburn from Canadian indie outfit The Dears. Set to be released in August of this year, Young Believer also features guest spots from members of Broken Social Scene, Islands, and Stars.
“It was great having Murray Lightburn on board, because at least we knew that the album wasn’t going to suck,” says Marskell. “We liked The Dears so much growing up as a band, and we really had an inherent trust in him. It was our first step towards knowing that this was going to be something worthwhile.”
Endless Waters had been a romantic experiment for a guitar-based band that uses creative elements to make influences from Radiohead to My Bloody Valentine sound fresh and unique. But on the brink of releasing their sophomore album, The Darcys seem piqued for change and—dare I say it—professionalism.
“Musically, I think it was all about progress and going from being a university student to being a guy in a band who has to work a crappy day job just to get by,” Marskell continues. Couse nods, likely thinking about his day job as a waiter. “We’re not just going to make pop songs. If we’re doing this, we have to do something that we can really stand behind.”
“It’s always about pushing ourselves and pushing the limits of our abilities,” adds Couse.
“Our priorities have changed. We’re not just trying to pass school and get in essays,” says Marskell. Couse launches into the story of how he wrote his philosophy thesis at the back of their tour van while driving from Halifax to Vancouver.
“And now we’re just excited to get the new album out there, and then we’ll be touring until we die. Jason first.”
“Yeah, I am allergic to peanuts,” Couse quips. “That’s kind of bound to catch up with me.”
The Darcys play the El Mocambo tonight as part of Canadian Music Week. For more information, visit cmw.net.
