The dark clouds have passed over Comeback Kid. After a cycle of heavy touring for their 2005 album Wake The Dead, the band didn't want to lose their momentum. Instead of resting, they prematurely transitioned to writing their next album. The quick turnaround hastened lead singer Scott Wade's exit from the band, forcing guitarist Andrew Neufeld to step to up to the microphone. "I don't know if we were fully ready to have a new record out at that point," Neufeld says. But they followed through anyway. Broadcasting (2007) was a dark brooding album, reflecting the upheaval going on in the background. It also displayed Neufeld attempting to bridge the gap from Wade's departure. They still wanted to sound like Comeback Kid, but had to balance that desire with the reality that a new vocalist will always change a band sonically.
With their brand new fourth album, Symptoms and Cures, those worries have been stomped out. After three years of touring as Comeback Kid's frontman, Neufeld didn't feel the pressure to recreate what they've done in the past. "I feel more comfortable and confident to do the vocals in my own style," he explains. "They're heavier and more how I sing live. We still love big choruses and melody, but the vocals are more throaty and heavy."
It's also a much brighter album compared to Broadcasting. "We were just really stoked on how natural everything came out," he says. "We wrote the songs with red plastic cups in mind ― beer spilling over, fists in the air. The album is brighter and there was intent to that, [but] we're singing about serious things that mean a lot to us."
"G.M. Vincent & I" is Neufeld's recount of an accident while riding in a van with Gravemaker and Matthew Vincent, bassist for Neufeld's other band Sights and Sounds. "The van flipped four times and Matt was stuck underneath for an hour," he says. "It was probably the most real life experiences I've ever had, and one of the most frightening times in my life."
While Neufeld says there isn't a specific theme threading the record together, much of the album speaks about the affects of living as transient people. He's on the road 90 percent of the time, couch surfing when he's back home and keeps all of his possessions in a storage unit. "Living the transient lifestyle forces you to over think a lot of things that will happen in the future. It takes a toll on trying to have a personal life."
But there hasn't been a moment of thought to scaling back. "I'm on a dead set path to do music," he says. "I've been doing it since high school; I'm 29 now and enjoy it to the fullest. We really enjoy each other's company still and take inspiration from the other bands we're in [Sights and Sounds, and Low Talker]. But we now have a year straight of Comeback Kid touring set, so let's see how I feel after that!"
With their brand new fourth album, Symptoms and Cures, those worries have been stomped out. After three years of touring as Comeback Kid's frontman, Neufeld didn't feel the pressure to recreate what they've done in the past. "I feel more comfortable and confident to do the vocals in my own style," he explains. "They're heavier and more how I sing live. We still love big choruses and melody, but the vocals are more throaty and heavy."
It's also a much brighter album compared to Broadcasting. "We were just really stoked on how natural everything came out," he says. "We wrote the songs with red plastic cups in mind ― beer spilling over, fists in the air. The album is brighter and there was intent to that, [but] we're singing about serious things that mean a lot to us."
"G.M. Vincent & I" is Neufeld's recount of an accident while riding in a van with Gravemaker and Matthew Vincent, bassist for Neufeld's other band Sights and Sounds. "The van flipped four times and Matt was stuck underneath for an hour," he says. "It was probably the most real life experiences I've ever had, and one of the most frightening times in my life."
While Neufeld says there isn't a specific theme threading the record together, much of the album speaks about the affects of living as transient people. He's on the road 90 percent of the time, couch surfing when he's back home and keeps all of his possessions in a storage unit. "Living the transient lifestyle forces you to over think a lot of things that will happen in the future. It takes a toll on trying to have a personal life."
But there hasn't been a moment of thought to scaling back. "I'm on a dead set path to do music," he says. "I've been doing it since high school; I'm 29 now and enjoy it to the fullest. We really enjoy each other's company still and take inspiration from the other bands we're in [Sights and Sounds, and Low Talker]. But we now have a year straight of Comeback Kid touring set, so let's see how I feel after that!"
