By: Tyler Nyquvest –
Departing from the gym on a sunny sunday I was halted by the sight of an eclectic group of individuals staring at me from the cover of a newspaper. It’s hard to believe that a print image can still capture attention in our visually over-stimulated world, but nonetheless I grabbed the issue and realized I was staring at the very group I would be reviewing that day, Canadian alternative rock band July Talk.
If there was ever any group deserving of their newly found fame it’s July Talk. Formed in Toronto in 2012, the group has been pounding the pavement for nearly three years, touring straight since the release of their self-titled debut and performing explosive live shows that have garnered international attention. While their road has been long, the group is finally taking breath after a long swim up from the bottom. Amidst their many successes – A Juno Award, performing at the MMVA’s, July Talk reaching Gold status in Canada – the group has been reeling with the experience of their new life on the road and the pitfalls of living through a screen. It was this experience that became the sole inspiration for their sophomore release Touch, an album sure to propel the ambitious quartet well above water.
One cannot discuss the group without making mention of the core element of July Talk’s success-the contrast between the two lead vocalists Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis. The sticky, ashtray growl of Dreimanis juxtaposed against the angelic yet punchy coons of Fay have formed a contrast that not only defines the bands sound but also exists as a major theatrical component of the groups live performances and lyrics. This contrast is omnipotent in Touch, as the two focal voices revolt against loneliness and life disconnected from the ones you love.
“Beck+Call” is a rolling tussle between our two leads, making one of the heavier songs of the album but certainly one of the most prominent. However, where in the past on July Talk, the two voices more often opposed each other, on Touch, they are joined in anger, equally enthralled. The two shout in dismay “blind love in dark bedrooms, find love within confusion, at your beck and call,” protesting the pain of loneliness and the fragility of relationships. Fay’s verve and measurable assuredness strikingly resembles Canadian counterpart Emily Haines of Metric. Fay commands herself with a rigor and unforgiving poise rarely found in such a young talent.
The standout track of the album actually takes a lighter tone in what is a fairly dark work thematically. “Strange Habit” is an absolute triumph and will almost assuredly permeate into lasting popularity, likely recycled into some form of soundtrack be it film or other. The song’s temperamental softness feels unusually reserved on such a powerful album yet that distinction may be what makes it shine. Eerie piano spots intertwined with delicate percussion craft a haunting yet beautifully romantic melody, all the more complimented by the much discussed duality of vocals.
The title track of the work “Touch” is undoubtedly the perfect bow to tie the project together, eloquently depicting the albums persisting theme of human connection. Dreimanis wails in the albums finale “We get so tired and lonely, we need a human touch.” The shadowed lyricism depicting the harrowing cold of disconnect along with the simplicity of the works title breach a known mantra that nothing can take the place of an empathetic human touch.
While the theme of the album is by no means groundbreaking, this album is a winner. For a group this new to be so self aware and committed to their musical persona one cannot help but be impressed. Touch is just another reputable achievement on a rapidly growing resume and even though we’ve just gotten our feet wet with this Canadian-grown treasure, you can be sure that July Talk is on their way to stardom.
Essential Tracks: Beck+Call, Strange Habit, Touch
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I agree that “Touch” is a rather standout 4/5 album, and that it marks a clear transition in the bands persona, shifting toward a more pop/disco sounding musical expression. While I like most of the new genes, that seem to have been studio engineered into the DNA of their evolving sound, as they have emerged with this ambitious 2nd album effort, I am somehow still left craving for a bigger fix of the harder edged elements that their prior, more raw, indie rockers style consistently delivered,
This musically visceral, solid punch aspect of their sound may perhaps have become a little too bleach out, and faded while passing through the wash & spin cycles that emerge during an album’s studio production period.
I can think of no better way to illustrate this than by tracing the history of the album’s cover song “Touch” (really two songs). Initially, during the conception and late fetal development stages of this “child-song,” when it could only be experienced within the creative womb of a July Talk live performance, the song only had a tentative name → “Sex Song.”
I first herd “Sex Song” browsing Youtube for live recorded July talk performances. I stumbled upon the video of them from 2014 playing in a Hamburg, Germany record store (Michelle). [July Talk Live in Hamburg 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnqNTedD9VQ ], and @15:05 into the VID they play a song which Peter introduces with only the words “Let’s Dance. lets fuc_in’ dance” and Leah Fay then launches with the single word → “DANG.” Peter proceeds with the lines → “scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours; and if you draw blood, that’s par for the course”
WOW!
So blown away by this song, that I immediately searched to see whether they had recorded it yet, but no luck. So I assumed It must be a song queued up for their next album, or perhaps even a cover. Over time I learned that they sometimes called this song “Sex Song,” and other times “Touch.”
I was so excited when I heard that the new album was to be titled “Touch” and that my fav J-T song would finally be recorded. So when the album finally dropped on 9/9/16 to my amazement the closing song “Touch,” was NO LONGER “Sex Song.” Instead a fraternal twin song had suddenly matured inside the J-T creative womb, and had now ended up gestating and being delivered AHEAD of my favorite “Sex Song ” baby.
The thing about fraternal twins is that they are very different creatures. We can hear the new sounding personality of the fresh “Touch” song-child, that is now recorded, but Will “Sex Song” wind up being a stillbirth song-baby, or will it just be a delayed delivery song-baby? Only time will tell. In the interim, I can still pull out my stethoscope and listen in on the heartbeat sound of what I hope is a still gestating “Sex Song” baby at the above Youtube LINK.
I suggest you also give “Sex Song” a listen too, and then tell me with which of these two fraternal twin song-babies would you rather dance wildly?
As for the rest of the album. Lola + Joseph is my favorite song. Overall, I think with some songs, there is too much “repetition looping” of the lyrics and the music. When I look at the opening lyric from “Sex Song” that wasn’t replicated in “Touch” → “scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours; and if you draw blood, that’s par for the course” — and I ask myself how could there not have been a space in the song “Touch” to include this amazingly edgy “Sex Song” lyric?
Was it somehow deemed not in sync with the directional theme of this new album? If so, then I hope that when their 3rd comes out reviewers characterize it as being more of a “returning to their roots” effort.
Posted by RRLedford | September 21, 2016, 6:49 pm