Over five years after their break-up, Halifax's Super Friendz have reunited and recorded a new album slated for a July release. Since the break-up, Matt Murphy formed the Flashing Lights, while Charles Austin and Drew Yamada formed Neusiland and worked at Ultramagnetic Studios in Halifax. Matt Murphy says the album will be titled Love Energy, "because we love each other and want to play music together. We wanted to feel the inspiration we felt together back then."
The band had reformed for one-off hometown Christmas shows in recent years, but the thought of resurrecting the old band took root when they wrote some new songs in 2001. "For myself, I wanted to put all my attention into the Flashing Lights at that time," says Murphy, who says that band is officially on hiatus. "When [Flashing Lights bassist] Henri [Sangalang] left for Halifax a month and a half ago, I immediately called those guys up and told them I was ready to make that record if they wanted to do it. It wasn't all based on my timing; it had a lot to do with everyone else too. Neusiland was just finishing a record, so it was a good time for Charles and Drew, and [original drummer] Dave [Marsh] had some downtime from the Joel Plaskett Emergency."
Murphy says the band split up in 1997 due to competitive songwriting duties. "Our friendship really blossomed after we split up, and that indicates to me that it was all the other stuff that was the problem," he says. "Now we're more comfortable in our own skins and can let other people in on what we're doing.
"You can't buy the experience we just had as a group of friends and collaborators. This has been unlike anything I've ever been involved with, even the old Super Friendz. The elements are there and everyone's producing the same kinds of songs, but it's very refreshing."
The band had reformed for one-off hometown Christmas shows in recent years, but the thought of resurrecting the old band took root when they wrote some new songs in 2001. "For myself, I wanted to put all my attention into the Flashing Lights at that time," says Murphy, who says that band is officially on hiatus. "When [Flashing Lights bassist] Henri [Sangalang] left for Halifax a month and a half ago, I immediately called those guys up and told them I was ready to make that record if they wanted to do it. It wasn't all based on my timing; it had a lot to do with everyone else too. Neusiland was just finishing a record, so it was a good time for Charles and Drew, and [original drummer] Dave [Marsh] had some downtime from the Joel Plaskett Emergency."
Murphy says the band split up in 1997 due to competitive songwriting duties. "Our friendship really blossomed after we split up, and that indicates to me that it was all the other stuff that was the problem," he says. "Now we're more comfortable in our own skins and can let other people in on what we're doing.
"You can't buy the experience we just had as a group of friends and collaborators. This has been unlike anything I've ever been involved with, even the old Super Friendz. The elements are there and everyone's producing the same kinds of songs, but it's very refreshing."
