Apr. 06, 2011 - Issue #807: Spring Style
Prevue
Letters to Elise
Sat, Apr 9 (7 pm) With California Lane Change, Felix in Love, Hit or Miss, Avenue Theatre, $10 (all ages)
Fresh off a gig opening for their pals Stereos, local emo group Letters to Elise will be releasing its new EP, When It Meant Something, this weekend at Avenue Theatre.
Since the band's 2008 debut, Secret Lines, the band—taking its name from the Cure's song—has added a fifth member while making great strides to stretch its sound and mature beyond the members' average age of just 20 years old.
"We released our last one two years ago, and looking back on it, a lot of the songs were sounding the same," explains guitarist Brandon Pomerleau. "Over the years we've listened to other music and writing other stuff, going about it differently—different styles, trying to fit it all so that not every song sounded similar. We feel like we've accomplished that, and everyone seems to be liking what we've done."
Recorded with Randor Lyn at Turnkey Studios (Ten Second Epic, Stereos), When It Meant Something sees the band moving upwards from Secret Lines' solid foundation to a diversified set of songs that reflect the members' collaborative influences and a more mature sound. Rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Chris Marchlinski, keyboardist Mike Iwanyshyn, bassist Patrick Moniz and drummer Tylor Mesenchuk, the five-piece brings a smart, powerful sound that's catchy without being simple, complex without being complicated. The key, Pomerleau notes, lies in the band's songwriting process.
"Usually Chris and I will write on our own time, bringing parts to the band and start working it together," he explains. "We go about the music first. Once that's done, then we start to think about the feel of the song, what the lyrics should be.
"Lyrically and songwriting-wise, we feel like we've taken a step forward and made it more personal."
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