As a child, Molly Rankin discovered she had a special power.as a descendant of her rankin familyAn award-winning 90s Canadian music group, she adopted the fiddle, which her father, John Morris Rankin, also played, as her instrument of choice.
“Playing the fiddle makes you kind of like a Jedi. There’s this aura around you,” she said in an interview from her Toronto apartment, a poster of Devo, and a wall of guitars visible behind her. , I showed signs of the Force when I was younger, and was encouraged not to waste it.”
In 2011, she founded Alwaysis an indie rock band that wraps stories of hard lives and hurt feelings with obscure layers of rock instrumentation. While that may seem unrelated to her roots, Rankin, 35, noted that the music of her ancestors grew out of Celtic melodies that had been passed down for centuries. did. “They will stand the test of time,” she said.
Since releasing their self-titled debut LP in 2014, Alvvays has displayed an emotional and melodious sophistication that has set them apart from their peers. ‘Antsocialites’ from 2017 was a finalist for the prestigious Polaris Music Awards and the band’s First appearance on US TVThe third album, Blue Rev, due for release on Friday, was partially delayed by the pandemic, but was ultimately enriched by the extra time.
“Sometimes every song I write feels like the last song,” Rankin said with a small smile. I’m in.
The slow pace benefitted the band’s thoughtful, tightly woven bond over their own work. Rankin lives with his partner Alec O’Hanley, who co-writes the band’s songs and plays many instruments. When we spoke in late September, the band’s drummer Sheridan Riley and bassist Abby Blackwell were staying in his upstairs apartment. Rankin’s childhood friend Kelly McClellan, who plays keyboards and sings, is just a short bike ride away. O’Hanley compared the home’s current feel to “Animal House.”
“Blue Rev” pushes the band’s sound into a dreamier, noisier frontier while deepening its narrative-driven songwriting. The album was named after a Canadian alcoholic drink Rankin drank as a teenager, and does not enjoy the taste of it.
“I like to offset the beautiful with the challenging,” Rankin explained. I love painful, gritty melodies.” She added, “I’m always trying to make the guitar sound louder,” citing Alice Munro’s short stories as a recent inspiration. “I love that she has the ability to blow the wind with her 12-page short story, ‘I wish I could do that with a song.'”
Producer Sean Everett (The War on Drugs, Killers) helped the band break away from old habits and refine the song’s loud-quiet-loud dynamics. “We’re always trying to broaden the spectrum, whether it’s emotional or tonal. Let’s see how far we can push before something breaks,” says Neil. – Young, The Psychedelic Furs, Abba, The Cure, Magnetic Field as Sonic Goalpost. He said the band members spent a lot of time gathering unconventional influences from across pop culture, as if they were “climbing geek mountains.” (Although the band is known for its somber subject matter, in conversation the members displayed a keen wit.)
The single “Belinda Says” began with Rankin fiddling with chords in his basement, with lyrics describing leaving town for an uncertain future — “I’m moving to the country/I’m going to have this baby/It’s See how it grows / See how it grows”—it took shape.O’Hanley came up with the line to title the song, referencing Belinda Carlyle’s 1987 hit “Heaven is on Earth.” O’Hanley said he had heard “Belinda Says” as a country song, referencing the work of Lucinda Williams and Deena Carter, but Rankin “strongly insisted on the need for some scuds”. The resulting track encapsulates the band’s strengths: mournful, idiosyncratic lyrics, piercing melodies, waves and waves of sugar-flecked white noise that envelops without being overpowering, making the song a dominant force. A triumphant guitar solo that lifts towards the climax.
Some of the personal pain that powers the music is more evident on “Blue Rev.” John Morris Rankin died in a car accident in 2000 at the age of 40. A photo of her Rankin’s family was featured on the album’s jacket, and she suggested it had a deeper meaning. Climb onto the wharf and behind them is this big, ominous adult sky and what the world is about to show you. ”
When his father died, Rankin said, “It was a really chaotic time, obviously traumatic, but I had a long, blank head.” She continued to play the fiddle and even performed with the Rankin Family on their reunion tour, but ultimately she chose to forge her own path. .
Despite the difference in sound, Rankin said it conveyed her father’s drive. “It’s really important to me not to be a Jesus man. He certainly wasn’t alone.
Everett, who was born in Canada and now lives in Los Angeles, said he’s been listening to the Rankine family’s legacy in Aruba Bay. is,” he said. “Molly has the ability to weave a kind of graceful question her mark.”
Canadian hardcore band F____ Up frontman Damien Abraham recalled bringing Alvvays on tour as a support act in 2014, saying their poise and maturity were already apparent. It had that naive sheen you want from a band making pop music with a punk approach,” he said. “They had real musical chops in the background, but an edge to which we all gravitate.”
Alvvays went on to headline their own shows and gained a small but loyal fan base. “I don’t know if Alvvays will ever become more than a cult favorite,” he said O’Hanley. “We want this quest for pop art beauty to continue for as long as possible. If you get a job playing music and good tunes, that’s great. You don’t have to work at a Poutine bar in Toronto.” “
Rankin said she can be “pretty hard” on herself and it can take a long time to gather the material that drives her, but if the music feels right and resonates, it’s worth it. “I’m not expecting a particular trajectory,” she added with a laugh.