Eight and a Half may have only just released their debut self-titled full-length today (April 10), but the group are already working on their sophomore album. According to the band, which consists of Dave Hamelin and Liam O'Neil of the Stills and Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene, the writing process for their next full-length is under way.
"We're already working on the next record," drummer Peroff tells Exclaim! "The fidelity [of the new songs] sounds better. That's definitely a difference. I don't think the fidelity of [our debut] is lacking, it's just… you live and you learn through doing it, and through being around other like-minded people."
Eight and a Half have received a healthy dose of coverage, before having a record to sell and with only a handful of live shows to boast about. Thanks to their past work with the Stills and Broken Social Scene, the band have caused a bigger stir than most group receive for a debut, but Peroff believes it's possible for Eight and a Half to create their own identity.
"I was watching Death From Above at Coachella last year," he remembers. "And my friend turned to me and said, 'That guy looks a lot like Jesse from MSTRKRFT!' I was like, 'That's because he is Jesse from MSTRKRFT.' I had a few of those moments at SXSW... someone came up and said, 'Hey, Eight and a Half, right?' I was like, 'Are you fucking kidding me?' That felt pretty cool. If it doesn't happen, that's fine I guess... but this band is very much a real thing."
While so far there is no word on when the as-yet-untitled second album may arrive, Peroff says they're using 2012 to focus on being a live band. Beyond touring, they're learning how to let their songs become something of their own in the live setting.
"We started making some noise three years ago as a non-band," he says. "We didn't expect this to be a touring band. We're trying to represent the record as much as possible, but after coming back from SXSW and having about nine shows under our belt, now we're becoming more of a live band. It feels correct."
Eight and a Half is out now on Arts & Crafts, and the group's currently scheduled Canadian dates can be seen here. You can also read more of Exclaim!'s recent interview with the band here.
"We're already working on the next record," drummer Peroff tells Exclaim! "The fidelity [of the new songs] sounds better. That's definitely a difference. I don't think the fidelity of [our debut] is lacking, it's just… you live and you learn through doing it, and through being around other like-minded people."
Eight and a Half have received a healthy dose of coverage, before having a record to sell and with only a handful of live shows to boast about. Thanks to their past work with the Stills and Broken Social Scene, the band have caused a bigger stir than most group receive for a debut, but Peroff believes it's possible for Eight and a Half to create their own identity.
"I was watching Death From Above at Coachella last year," he remembers. "And my friend turned to me and said, 'That guy looks a lot like Jesse from MSTRKRFT!' I was like, 'That's because he is Jesse from MSTRKRFT.' I had a few of those moments at SXSW... someone came up and said, 'Hey, Eight and a Half, right?' I was like, 'Are you fucking kidding me?' That felt pretty cool. If it doesn't happen, that's fine I guess... but this band is very much a real thing."
While so far there is no word on when the as-yet-untitled second album may arrive, Peroff says they're using 2012 to focus on being a live band. Beyond touring, they're learning how to let their songs become something of their own in the live setting.
"We started making some noise three years ago as a non-band," he says. "We didn't expect this to be a touring band. We're trying to represent the record as much as possible, but after coming back from SXSW and having about nine shows under our belt, now we're becoming more of a live band. It feels correct."
Eight and a Half is out now on Arts & Crafts, and the group's currently scheduled Canadian dates can be seen here. You can also read more of Exclaim!'s recent interview with the band here.
