Excited about the return of Wintersleep? Bassist Mike Bigelow might have you beat.
"It's like a celebration after all the work that we put into the record," says Bigelow, on the phone from London, England. "It's great having people excited about our new material and getting to hear it---and hopefully appreciate it."
So far, so good---the band has been playing songs from New Inheritors (released in Canada this week) to eager audiences across Europe on a tour supporting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Brothers Movement. Tonight, Halifax gets its opportunity as the hometown boys hit the Paragon Theatre for a sold-out, two-set show.
"We're going to be playing a bit longer than normal," says Bigelow, adding that concert-goers can expect a pretty broad set list. "I think we're going to play a lot of the new record, but it won't just be 'new record' and then 'other songs.'"
They need not worry about how the New Inheritors material will play beside old favourites. Full of stormy guitars and memorable hooks, the album's 12 songs are perhaps the closest Wintersleep has come to capturing the intensity of its live show. Many of them were written and road-tested while touring Welcome to the Night Sky, and the band spent two weeks rehearsing in Montreal prior to entering the studio last fall to ensure that the songs worked together as an album.
"We put songs on the record because we like them collectively. If something ends up being successful, like 'Weighty Ghost,' that's a bonus," says Bigelow. "But we take great pride in our work as a band and we want our songs to come together as a cohesive record."
After shows in Halifax and Toronto, Wintersleep departs on a 16-date American tour with Pennsylvania indie rockers Matt Pond PA. The band has some festival dates planned this summer and is hoping to line up a full Canadian tour later this year.
