Written by Alexis Zygan
Photo by Lindsay Wallace
VANCOUVER POST-PUNKS REFLECT ON HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPING THEIR SOUND
Since 2004, Spectres has delivered exquisite albums that blend catchy energetic riffs with the disconnected drone synonymous with post-punk. Spectres' latest album, Nostalgia, features a jubilant gloom intertwined within the vibrations of hullabaloo. Nostalgia is available for download starting on Friday, March 13. Released by Artoffact Records, based in Toronto. When listening to Nostalgia, it becomes evident of the influence of 80's counterculture, but a more modern approach. Although the album name did not contribute to the overall tracklist.
"Nostalgia is about spending a lot of time thinking about old music, or old things,” says guitarist Zach Batalden. “Something from a time that is not your own."
Despite signing to a record label in 2016, Spectres credits their D.I.Y. beginnings in giving them the knowledge they have today. It taught them their recording technique, how to function as a band and organize their own shows.
"We spent a lot of years playing with hardcore bands, crust, bands that did not sound anything like us. We were relegated to the opening act spot,” Batalden explains. “We spent many years grinding away at that. Over time, I think people started to see music differently. Then we could play shows with contemporary bands that sound more like what we were doing."
I have been a fan of Spectres ever since they released Utopia in 2016. I resonated with the lyric "when the music was my only friend" in Vertigo. Shortly after that, when I saw them play at Astoria, their performance generated a visceral response from the crowd. As we bob our heads to the intensity of the melodious beat.
"We are obviously very interested in class British post-punk and anarcho-punk,” states vocalist Brian Gustavson. “There’s more of a 90s Manchester influence in these records. Nostalgia has some more 80's indie pop, more pronounced new wave influences and more evolved songwriting. If you listen to Utopia, you can hear the songs going in that direction."
In terms of what is next, Spectres are going on a North American Tour, starting on the day of Nostalgia's release. Spectres' plan to release a single compilation within the next year. The band looks forward to recording a new single in LA, and re-record a couple of older songs.
“It will be cool to revisit some older material with a different feel to it."