Winter Gloves

About A Girl

BY Jill LangloisPublished Aug 23, 2008

Charles F. might have started his new outfit, Winter Gloves, on a whim but the Montreal quartet’s first full-length is far from the afterthought the band initially were. About A Girl takes a handful of songs from the Let Me Drive EP, polishes them to perfection, then hits you with another dose of what synth pop rock is all about. While most of the songs are exactly what your next indie dance party needs, Winter Gloves still manage to interject some songs that slow things down but without making it seem like they’ve put the breaks on the pace just because they had to. With Charles’s falsetto chorus taking over as the standout feature, "Glass Paperweight” is by far the most memorable track on the record. Contrary to what its title says, this one doesn’t hold anything back. In fact, it pushes Winter Gloves far beyond their proverbial hand’s reach. "Let Me Drive” is another must-listen but it falls on the complete opposite end of this album’s musical spectrum. In fact, its frenetic pace perfectly represents the themes of seduction and urban lifestyle that this record is all about. Winter Gloves will, without a doubt, grab hold of anyone who listens and never let go.

Last time I talked to you, you’d just finished recording. What do you think of the final product?
Charles: We’re pretty happy about it. After we recorded it, we were in this kind of bubble where everything seems perfect. Then you have these two or three weeks afterward where you’re just panicking about everything and you’re thinking, "Oh, I should have done this or that.” And then after the second week you kind of go back to normal and just hope that you did something interesting.

How was working together on the creative process for the first time?
Patrick Sayers: When I came to the band, Charles already had the drum parts figured out for a lot of the songs, and I didn’t want to totally change them, so I just kind of added my own personality. But "Hillside” was a bit tricky. I just totally changed the feel. I really changed it and Charles was kind of taken aback and was like, "Oh, wow, this song is better now.” And I think that’s the nature of collaborating: you can grow instead of being stuck with just one person’s ideas.
(Paper Bag)

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