Yukon Blonde Talk New 'Fire//Water' EP, Plot Punk-Inspired New Album

News Sep 15 2011

By Alex HudsonNext week (September 20), Vancouver retro rockers Yukon Blonde will release Fire//Water, a four-song EP that will act as a primer for the band's upcoming sophomore full-length. Answering Exclaim!'s call during a rare day off at home, frontman Jeff Innes shed some light on the '70s-inspired new release.

"It's sort similar to our self-titled record," Innes says of Fire//Water, going on to note that the collection's four songs were composed at the beginning of the band's recent writing session. "That was the reason for the EP. The songs kind of stuck out. They sort of sounded like the old record, and they were older, so it made sense to put them out first."

Fire//Water is currently streaming right here at Exclaim.ca, and it will be available through Nevado Records on marbled orange and blue twelve-inch vinyl. With its lush Laurel Canyon vocal harmonies and chiming classic rock guitar riffs, there's no question that the disc will appeal to fans of the group's acclaimed debut. And while this familiar sound comes as a welcome treat, Innes admits that the band had some reservations about putting the tracks "Fire" and "Water" on the same release.

"They're so similar," he explains. "They're both in G, they have similar chord structures, really similar melodies. It was just a fluke that those two songs ended up so similar and they have opposing concepts."

While Fire//Water isn't a major stylistic departure for the group, the singer promises that the forthcoming full-length ventures into new territory. "It's a lot faster but it's a little bit more dark," he reveals. "It's our band. It's not going to be metal music. But it's got some punk rock influences and a lot more harmonies."

Many of the 11 songs that will end up on the new album began as home demos, which Innes never intended for Yukon Blonde. "I was doing a bunch of random demos that I thought were really fun and sounded sort of electro-punk-y," he recalls. "We were just like, 'These songs are way funner than anything we wrote intended for Yukon Blonde.'"

They eventually took this material into the Hive Creative Labs studio with producer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer, Dan Mangan), where Innes admits they had some doubts about the new direction. "There were times when we were like, 'What the fuck are we doing? This is so weird,'" he remembers. "It's not. It's a simple pop record. But for us it was a change."

The full-length is currently slated for early 2012, with the title and other details still to be confirmed. But before the band turn their focus to the full-length, they will promote Fire//Water with an extensive North American tour that will take them across Canada and down into the States. You can see all the stops below and listen to Fire//Water here.

Tour dates:

9/28 Nelson, BC - Hume Hotel
 9/29 Calgary, AB - Gateway - SAIT
 9/30 Lethbridge, AB - The Slice
10/1 Saskatoon, SK - Amigo's
10/2 Winnipeg, MB - WECC
10/3 Minneapolis, MN - Nomad Pub
10/4 Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
10/6 Sarnia, ON - Paddy Flaherty's
10/7 London, ON - Fanshawe College
10/8 Windsor, ON - Capital Theatre
10/10 Hamilton, ON - Casbah
 10/11 St Catharines, ON - Mansion House
10/13 Guelph, ON - eBar
10/14 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
10/15 Kingston, ON - Grad Club
10/19 Corner Brook, NL - Bar Room
10/21 St. John's, NL - The Ship
 10/25 Sackville, NB - George's Roadhouse
10/26 Halifax, NS - Seahorse Tavern
10/27 Charlottetown, PE - Hunters Ale House
10/28 Fredericton, NB - The Capitol
 10/29 Quebec City, QC - Le Scanner
10/31 Brooklyn, NY - Rock Shop
11/1 Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo
11/2 Ottawa, ON - Ritual
11/3 Sudbury, ON - Townehouse Tavern
11/4 Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Lop Lops
 11/5 Thunder Bay, ON - Crocks
11/7 Edmonton, AB - Starlite
11/10 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore
11/11 Victoria, BC - Sugar
11/15 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
11/16 Nashvile, TN - 3rd & Lindly *
11/17 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway *
 11/18 Louisville, KY - Zanza Bar *
11/19 Columbus, OH - Rumba Café *
 11/21 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Café *
 11/22 Cleveland, OH - Beachland *
 11/23 East Lansing, MI - Mac's Bar *
11/25 Chicago, IL - Panchos  *
11/26 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club *
11/28 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Ave Entry *
11/30 Rockisland, IL - Huckleberry Pizza *
12/1 Ames, IA - The Maintenance Shop *
12/2 Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr *
12/3 Kansas City, MO - Riot Room *
12/4 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom - 2nd Stage *
12/6 Little Rock, AR - Juanita's Cantina *
12/7 Dallas, TX - Double Wide *
12/8 Houston, TX - Fitz Downstairs *
12/9 Austin, TX - Emo's Inside *
12/11 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *
12/13 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court *
12/14 Boise, ID - Neurolox *
12/16 Spokane, WA - A Club *
12/17 Seattle, WA - Crocodile  *
12/18 Portland, OR - Doug Fir  *
12/21 San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar *
12/22 San Diego, CA - Soda Bar *
12/23 Los Angeles, CA - Echo *

* with the Fling

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