Living in this day and age, it’s hard not to see the music industry as a rat race. Whether it's social media marketing campaigns, or the stigma of fitting into the right genre, sub-genre or musical aesthetic that "sells", it's sometimes hard to find a place with the sake of the music itself in mind. Enter Dad Thighs.
We met at their jam space before a practice at Red Gate, a venue/jam space/art space that oozes with creativity and a sense of community that so many people have been searching to be a part of. Dad Thighs strive to be a part of creating a safe space for the listener with genuine musical care, playing diverse bills and continuing to exclusively play all ages shows.
The band joined together in 2013. Assembled by lead singer Victoria for a show that was already booked. The crunch was on to write what has become a staple for those who love an old school emotive sound. The name Dad Thighs stands alone just as well without an explanation but is a tongue in cheek reference to the over-sexualization of women in music.
"So often in music women are over-sexualized and objectified but in this name, it's the opposite," Victoria explains. "I don't know if it (the name) is sexualized but it's objectifying a man. It's an object. A man's thigh you know?"
"The internet hates it sometimes. They gotta get over it." bassist Jill expresses.
Their new EP, Easy Listening, is full of raw emotion and honesty, encompassing a sound connected to the feeling you're consumed by in each song. The group began working on Easy Listening shortly after they put out their 2017 release The Ghosts That I Fear. The new EP is felt to be almost an extension of that, playing the tracks for quite some time live by incorporating them into set lists made up of favourites from previous releases.
"We recorded them all separate. We didn't record it as one coherent release and the interesting part is figuring out how to put those four songs, three songs minus 'Sometimes Underwater'" Felix explains. "It was how to figure out how to put that into a cohesive release."
With the first three songs recorded and mixed by Michael Kraushaar in Bully's Studios, The band took a more DIY approach for their fourth track. Having been in school for audio engineering, The drummer of the band, Devon mixed and recorded "Sometimes Underwater" at the Vancouver Public Library taking advantage of the inspiration lab.
Almost all of Dad Thighs discography have been offered on colourful cassettes, the last two accompanied with lyric zines for the regrowth of zine lovers out there.
"I think cassettes open the door a little more for DIY projects. You could do quite a bit in terms of the internet and the art. You can assemble them yourself whereas other formats are a bit more hands-off" Felix continues. "In terms of physical release, the novelty comes in a bit more. The lo-fi sound is pretty nice as well."