Since they first started out playing in artist lofts and the small eclectic venues of Montreal, We Are Wolves have honed to perfection their blend of electro-art-punk all across Canada and the USA, in Asia and in Europe, sharing the stage with such renowned artists as Muse, Bloc Party, Indochine, Gossip and Gorillaz. Along the way the band released four unforgettable albums: first on the legendary Fat Possum, later on local label Dare To Care. Now with fledgling Montreal label Fantôme Records, We Are Wolves are heading in a new direction, and they’re shouting it out loud and clear on WRONG, their fifth studio album.
Recorded in New York, France and Montreal, WRONG sees the trio – bassist and vocalist Alexander Ortiz, keyboardist Vincent Levesque and percussionist Pierre-Luc Bégin – show off their penchant for the edgy pop of bands like Depeche Mode, New Order, Ultravox and The Cure, without losing the bite that has defined their sound. Here’s what Levesque had to say about their impending album, the album launch, and why they are taking so much pride in this project.
CraveOnline: Tell us about WRONG.
Vincent Levesque: This is our fifth record and we had the time to explore different avenues and learn how to play differently, and that changed things for us. We have a better understanding of the whole studio process. This allowed us to go in new directions that we could never have gone in by just doing the songs live or having somebody else record us. It’s the most time we’ve spent in the studio doing a record. And it’s been a really fun ride.
Is this something you’d like to do with future records – have a more hands-on approach?
Personally I became the engineer for the band because, thankfully, my brain is kind of wired for that, so I enjoy it. But it’s also a matter of financial support for the band – the more we do for ourselves the less it costs, so it allows us to keep going forward. In the past, even if we didn’t have all the technical language or lingo, we had a clear picture of what we wanted so most of the time in the studio was spent explaining in different words how we wanted stuff to sound. But if we can do it ourselves we save a lot of time. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s usually better if we do it ourselves.
What appearances do you have coming up?
We’re at a showcase festival here in Germany, so we’re basically here to work on future tours for spring and summer. The industry gets together and gets drunk and gets to see each other face-to-face. I’m glad it’s in Germany – it’s slightly exotic, and there’s so much to do back home that it’s like a vacation.
I love Europe – everything is a lot closer, so our travel times are at least half the time than they are in North America, if not one-fifth or one-tenth, and it leaves a lot more time to hang out. Having access to all those different cultures and countries that are so close, for me, it never gets old. It’s fascinating.
What are the plans for the end-of-month album launch?
We’re having an album release party that is happening in Montréal on September 28th, then it’s officially out on the 30th. After the Montreal event on the 28th we go to Quebec City for the same kind of party, and then we are touring the province and eastern Canada for the rest of the year. There’s quite a bit to do!
