Interview: The Dears Talk ‘Times Infinity’, Toronto vs. Montreal, & Instagram

By: Tamar Faber (@Tamar07) –

The Dears.

The Dears are back with their new studio album, Times Infinity Volume One, out Sept. 25^th, the same day as their intimate concert at the PHI Center in Old Montreal. The intimate setting is sure to go well with the themes of their new album: legacy, love and relationships. It’s been a while since their last album, and Natalia Yanchak is more than ready to trade in her sweatpants for the stage. Twenty years, six studio albums and two kids later, Natalia talks to us about nerves, selfies, hipsters, and her process of writing and keeping her inspirations pure.

What’s are you most excited about on this tour?

Nervous is a better word! If I had to say, “excited” it would definitely be about playing shows. It’s been a while since our last album. I had another kid! I was just thinking about being in front of an audience again and I was a little nervous *laughs* it’s like… no more sweatpants!

Speaking of performing, on the same day you are releasing the new album, Times Infinity Volume One, you are also doing an intimate concert at the PHI Centre in Old Montreal. How has your connection with Montreal affected and influenced your music?

It’s so deeply seated in our identity that we don’t even think about it anymore. The interesting thing about Times Infinity, both volumes, is that we did a lot of the tracking in Toronto – at Revolution Recording, which has never been done before; we have never recorded an album outside of Montreal so that was odd. We were out of our element but it was still fun and what came out of it was still the right thing.

So what does Montreal give you creatively that no other city can?

When you’re in it, you can’t really put your finger on it. When I leave Montreal I can see the differences in other places that makes Montreal special.

I went down to Mile End in Montreal, which is great and like overrun with hipsters. In both cities you’ll have beautiful looking people and cool restaurants and cafes with people just sitting out in the middle of the day. Like, don’t you people have jobs!? But in Toronto, there is more of a sense of urgency because you have to make money. That is at the top of the list. In Montreal, people sitting around in cafes at three o’clock are just genuinely sitting around. In Toronto it’s like a business meeting.

In Montreal, there is that freedom. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, and I don’t know if it informs our music in any way but it definitely comes out more than the tyranny of capitalism.

What are the major themes on Times Infinity Volume One? How does this album reflect the state of where you are at both personally and within your career?

It’s not like there are new themes that The Dears have never covered. Definitely a sense of legacy, love and relationships, but not necessarily romantic relationships. Sometimes, it’s about having bonds and loving interactions with people.

With their new album, Times Infinity Volume One, The Dears touched on the themes of legacy, love and relationships.

There is a saturation of music, art and culture right now. It’s easy for people to create any kind of art and promote it. [They can just] put it up on their Instagram feed, like “here’s my selfie!” But what is it promoting? Is it promoting me? Or my heart? That is just the cultural climate now.

We are also celebrating 20 years of being a band. We had that: “what do we do?” moment. Do we re-brand ourselves and become something ‘cool’ and some kind of husband-wife electro duo? At the same time, that was almost never a question. This is what we do. We have to do The Dears. It’s kind of like our loving relationship to the ‘brand’ of The Dears, as gross as that is to say, is something that informs the music that we make. We are so deeply connected to the mileu that we have created that it’s almost like that is our ‘selfie.’ That’s how we put ourselves out there.

You guys are on Instagram. What aspects of social media do you enjoy using? Which ones not so much?

Instagram is the most fun one; it’s less editorialized, a picture is worth 1000 words so I can just put a picture up and the viewer can take anything from it. It’s fun and weird.

Social media is so personal [but this account] is just the band. It is really going to shine when we are on tour, having band experiences. [That’s when we will] get those followers *laughs*!

Has it (social media) changed your creative process? How do you think it affects more established artists – vs. brand new ones?

I don’t think social media and being out there in that way has changed the way we create or even perform music. If anything, it has made us more self-aware, making sure we are uncompromising in a way that people hate about The Dears.

It has just re-affirmed what we do and how we communicate our music with people. All this social media stuff is fun and another a way to engage with our audience, but definitely a secondary way.

Nowadays, what role do you think radio plays in helping to establish up and coming artists? Do you ever find you have to change your sound to get more radio play?

That’s never part of the creation of our music. We will make an album, do our thing and then start working with the powers that be – labels, agents etc. That is when there is a lot of: “we need to change the song this way” or “this needs more bottom end!” Basically, they whore it up *laughs* it’s like putting the lipstick on the pig: “let’s see if we can get this played on the radio.”

I don’t think we would ever compromise the music that we write. Even though this dilemma has messed with our minds.

The Dears will release their new album, Times Infinity Volume One, on Sept 25.

After all the shifting and changing of the band, how do you know when you have arrived at someone who would be a good fit? What are the criteria for being a Dears Member?

It’s not like we welcome someone into the fold for a couple of months and then kick them out. There has to be a vetting process before they get through the door, and what is that? It’s just a vibe. Can we play this music together? Yeah. Then the sound of the band sort of morphs into something that is representative of that group people.

Who were your key influences when you first started out? Who is influencing you today?

I have a conceited approach because I also write but I don’t read very much. There is a parade of second guessing myself because I feel like if I read something that has an idea similar to one I’ve had that’s going to mess me up and take me away from that pure inspiration. I’m kind of that way with music; I don’t go out of my way to seek new music. If someone recommends something I will check it out. We also don’t play music in the house. I never listen to music. Do you want to do your job when you go home? *laughs* it’s the same thing!

My daughter is nine and she is really into The Beatles, so I have been listening to that!

Do you listen to your own music then? Of the discography you guys have created? What album are you proudest of?

I have had moments of re-discovery where I will be in some classic Internet rabbit hole. There are some songs we don’t play live for whatever reason. Often I will go back to those songs and think to myself that I would like to play “Find our Way to Freedom” live. I don’t have a favourite album but there are definitely favourite moments that elicit this energy. This fervent energy. I try [to mimic] that but that’s never going to happen because who has time to jam? *laughs*

Which album provided the most creative challenges?

This last album was grueling because there was a lot of material. We wrote two albums worth of material and recorded it all at the same time so we didn’t know which songs were going to be on which volume. When it came time to rehearse stuff live [it became hard to choose what to play].

Maybe it’s just because it’s fresh, but this album had my hands working at the same time as opposed to holding down one note, which I do a lot on No Cities Left.

What would you all be doing if you weren’t in The Dears?

Probably writing my sci-fi novel that has been sitting, waiting to be finished. I just need time! Classic writer, really, I’m just procrastinating.

Pre-Order Times Infinity Volume One here.