They are now one of the many bands that can say they have graduated from the school of crowd-funding after riding the waves of a being DIY music duo in the lead up to their newly released debut LP. After playing in several alternative and garage bands before the WWL inception, Ash Lamonthe and Elsa Gebremichael later found a harmony in experimenting with a different kind of pop-flavoured music; Pyramids being the result of musical stylings accumulated over four years as a band, creating an effortless mix of disco, synth-pop and indietronica.
After supporting heavyweights Mother Mother, Tegan & Sara and Janelle Monae on the touring circuit, Saskatoon electro-disco duo, We Were Lovers, are now ready for centre stage as one of Canada’s next bands-to-watch as they unveil their debut album to new audiences this month.
We Were Lovers in its present form wasn’t always a duo and has undergone a series of changes to become what it is today. What type of bands were you playing in prior?
Ash and I have played in a couple different bands prior to We Were Lovers that ranged from alternative, experimental rock to garage/grungy stuff. It’s very different from what we’re doing now but it’s still, obviously, a part of who we are and how we’ve evolved musically over the years. Every now and then, Ash and I like to take a trip down memory lane and listen to old WWL and old bands we played in and see how much we’ve grown.
How did you find the crowd-funding experience, which you used to fund your debut album, Pyramids? And what advice would you give to other musicians using this platform to fund their projects?
The crowd-funding experience was interesting. It’s a lot of work and very time-consuming but it’s really nice to have the support of people all over the world who believe in what you’re doing enough to help fund it. Pre-ordering the album was essentially what our campaign was but if you wanted to donate more, you could have received extra ‘perks’ such as T-shirts, gift cards (locally), concert tickets and a private concert by yours truly. The whole thing is a great tool to help people with start-up business ideas to help supporting a great cause but I’m not sure we’ll do it again.
There are some definite disco flavours on the new record. Were you listening to any like-minded artists at the time, or are these influences more of a natural undercurrent of WWL’s style?
I’d say it’s a more natural undercurrent for sure. We love all styles of music, including disco, and a lot of those vibes just show up every now and then. You can definitely hear the diversity of genres on Pyramids – it’s a pretty well rounded and eclectic album.
Do you have any favourite moments on the album?
I honestly don’t think I can pick one and I think that’s because there is so much versatility on the album – you really can pick a different couple of songs to match whatever mood you’re in. If your feeling like upbeat, dance party vibes I’d go to tracks like Rock With Me, Jealous Lovers, Dream Invaders and We’ve Got It, but if you’re feeling a little more dreamy, a little more chill, I would turn on Islands, The Pressure and French Connection.
Canada is bringing some very respectable independents acts to the forefront. Do you have any local favourites at the moment?
There are some awesome Canadian bands that we’re stoked about as well as great bands from our very own province of Saskatchewan, such as Rah Rah, Foam Lake, Deep Dark Woods, Shooting Guns, who are all doing really cool things. In terms of Canada, we’re fans of Young Galaxy, Grimes, Young Empires and one of my favorites is Renny Wilson out of Edmonton, AB. We’re listening to his album Sugarglider right now, actually. Check it.
There are a lot of geographical references on this record, such as pyramids, islands and French Connections. Where is your favourite destination in the world?
Yes! That definitely wasn’t intentional but it’s coincidental how that happened. I still have so much more of the world to see so that’s kind of a tough question for me to answer at this point. I definitely have a love affair with New York City and would live there in a heartbeat - temporarily that is. But yeah, I have so much more to see and experience and I’m excited to do that in the future. That’s one of my favorite parts of being in a band and that's getting to travel and do what I love at the same time.
You and Ash have pretty much managed, marketed, produced, toured, and organised everything band-related as a duo. What do you know now as a musician that you wish you knew in the earlier years?
I think the main thing we would tell ourselves if we could go back in time is to not spread ourselves too thin; ask for help and seek out people who believe in you and your music and can be a part of your team earlier on. Two people doing everything is a lot and things would obviously be more efficient if more people were taking care of business. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had a ton of support and help from people along the way and wouldn’t be where we are if we didn’t have that. However, it’s just different when you have a team of people working together for the same goal.
What’s your favourite quote that’s travelled with you across the years?
I don’t have a specific quote per se but I definitely live by the phrase: “Never stop doing what you love”. Believe in and follow your dreams and work hard to make them come true, no matter what setbacks may get in your way. Cheesy stuff like that. But seriously.
