On 2012's TRST, Toronto's Trust established a dark electronic pop sound and matched this with a gothic nocturnal aesthetic. For the follow-up, the upcoming Joyland, project mastermind Robert Alfons opted to embrace a broader palette of sounds.
"I think that the first one [TRST] was more one mood," Alfons tells Exclaim! "I restricted myself, in that sense, and I wanted to create an atmosphere. I think this one is a continuation of the sound, but definitely I let myself be a little bit more free."
This meant using a few songs written prior to the first record and stripping away some of the murky gloom. He points out, "On a bunch of the songs, the vocals have a bit more presence than previously."
Not only was Alfons incorporating different sounds and styles, he was performing without his prior collaborator, Maya Postepski, who left Trust around the time the debut was released. "She's involved in another band [Austra], and was always involved with them first," Alfons explains. "It wasn't a surprise. I was making music before then, so it felt very natural."
Alfons notes that he has been heavily inspired by "old acid house and techno" in recent years. And while he loves "cold" and "monotonous" music, he is quick to add that he's more focused on feelings and melodies than sonics.
"I write music that has to be emotional, so it starts from there," he says. "That's what gets me excited to make music in the first place. I'm not a gear nerd, I'm not somebody who sits around and pours over that. I would rather write melodies and songs and build it from that point."
As previously reported, Joyland arrives on March 4 through Arts & Crafts. But before then, listen to a thudding dance remix of the lead single, "Rescue, Mister," by Tarantula X. The similarly upbeat original cut is also below. And if you're in Toronto, Trust plays tonight (January 23) at the Drake Hotel.
Read our full interview with Alfons here.
Tour dates:
01/23 Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel
01/24 Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands
05/20 London, UK - XOYO
"I think that the first one [TRST] was more one mood," Alfons tells Exclaim! "I restricted myself, in that sense, and I wanted to create an atmosphere. I think this one is a continuation of the sound, but definitely I let myself be a little bit more free."
This meant using a few songs written prior to the first record and stripping away some of the murky gloom. He points out, "On a bunch of the songs, the vocals have a bit more presence than previously."
Not only was Alfons incorporating different sounds and styles, he was performing without his prior collaborator, Maya Postepski, who left Trust around the time the debut was released. "She's involved in another band [Austra], and was always involved with them first," Alfons explains. "It wasn't a surprise. I was making music before then, so it felt very natural."
Alfons notes that he has been heavily inspired by "old acid house and techno" in recent years. And while he loves "cold" and "monotonous" music, he is quick to add that he's more focused on feelings and melodies than sonics.
"I write music that has to be emotional, so it starts from there," he says. "That's what gets me excited to make music in the first place. I'm not a gear nerd, I'm not somebody who sits around and pours over that. I would rather write melodies and songs and build it from that point."
As previously reported, Joyland arrives on March 4 through Arts & Crafts. But before then, listen to a thudding dance remix of the lead single, "Rescue, Mister," by Tarantula X. The similarly upbeat original cut is also below. And if you're in Toronto, Trust plays tonight (January 23) at the Drake Hotel.
Read our full interview with Alfons here.
Tour dates:
01/23 Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel
01/24 Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands
05/20 London, UK - XOYO