Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition December 2017

MUSIC
ALEX LAHEY
RISING UP FROM DOWN UNDER WITH BROTHERLY LOVE
FRANKIE RYOTT
Alex Lahey keeps things modestly simple on her debut album.
From student to superstar, Australian singersongwriter
Alex Lahey has landed in North
America, touring in support of her debut album,
I Love You Like a Brother. With her up front
attitude and creative wit Lahey is moving to the
top of many playlists, and for good reason.
Starting off in Melbourne studying jazz
saxophone at university, Lahey branched away
from the clinical method of learning and moved
towards creating something of her own. After
releasing her EP B-Grade University she was
quickly catapulted into the spotlight having
frequent airtime on Australian radio Triple J and
touring with artists like Blondie, Catfish and the
Bottlemen and, her close mentors, Tegan and
Sara.
After such success there was no doubt her debut
album would be something special and with I
Love You Like a Brother, Lahey delivered. The
ten track full-length album carries a collection
of universal experiences that have been
transformed into ironic yet relatable indie-rock
songs. Her honest vocals are complemented by
an array of punchy beats and melodic guitar riffs.
Alongside this, Lahey draws inspiration from her
own life creating a bond with her listeners.
“I make music because it’s my way of
expressing myself, when people relate to it
and engage in a positive way it is such a lovely
bonus,” she says.
I Love You like a Brother opens with the
recurrent strumming of “Every Day’s the
Weekend,” where Lahey keeps things modestly
simple before ascending into an infectious
chanting chorus. The deceptively upbeat music
contrasts with lyrics that touch on the turbulent
nature of relationships, a theme that continues
throughout the album. This is evident in lyrics,
such as the self-deprecating “I’ve gained weight
and drink too much, maybe that’s why you don’t
love me as much,” and the bitter realisations of
“Mothers and fathers don’t last forever/We don’t
get a choice/So let’s stick together,” which are
ironically partnered with joyful melodies that
you can’t help but sing along to.
Being on tour has not starved Lahey of
creativity instead, as she travels from one side
of the world to the other, she continues to draw
inspiration from her experiences, adding more
and more to her creative cauldron. “On tour
I keep meeting so many different people and
that’s what I like writing songs about, people;
their personalities and experiences and the
conversations I have with them. It definitely
continues to inspire my music,” says Lahey.
There is no doubt that 2017 has been a
significant year for the 25-year-old Melbournian
and there’s no sign things will be slowing down.
Currently in the middle of her I Love You like a
Brother tour she continues to impress audiences
all over the northern hemisphere by creating a
space where fans can gather together and sing
along with her unapologetic indie-rock anthems.
Alex Lahey performs at The Cobalt (Vancouver)
on December 12.
THE BARR BROTHERS
EMBARKING ON A COLLECTIVE SEARCH FOR SOUND
STEPHANIE NAZYWALSKYJ
When BeatRoute catches up with the
Barr Brothers they are cruising through
Switzerland, touring in support of their
third studio album, Queens of the Breakers.
Opening for the War On Drugs throughout
the UK and Europe, the band are not only
crossing borders, but showing the world
how they’ve pushed boundaries with their
latest release. Following the massive success
of their first two albums, The Barr Brothers
(2011) and Sleeping Operator (2014), the
trio’s lead singer and multi-instrumentalist
Brad Barr discusses their newfound creative
process.
“Sonically, we decided the next round
of music we played should be born out
of playing together, out of a collective
search for a sound,” he says. “The idea was
for everyone to play their instrument the
way they wanted and it turned out to be
something joyful and expressive for the
group. We also took it into a trippier, more
psychedelic place than we had allowed
ourselves to do in the past.”
Lyrically, the band’s new collective,
creative approach caused a bit of a struggle,
which Barr chalks up to being a first time
father: “Suddenly the writing schedule
wasn’t fluid, I had to find different times to
write and new ways to maintain interest
in what I had to say. With a one-year-old
around, watching the little guy grow up
made me less interested in what I had to say
and more interested in how he was seeing
the world and what he had to say.”
The title, Queen of the Breakers, stems
from the brother’s collective adolescence.
Brad and brother Andrew went to visit the
Breakers Mansion, which was built in the
1800s by the Vanderbuilts, dressed up in
their mother’s clothing and dropped acid
while taking a tour of the museum. While
the title is a reflection of year’s gone and the
dad of today might advise his younger self
“not to smoke so much as it would mess
with his voice,” Barr says he’s not so different
from the guy of 10 years ago.
The Barr Brothers have built a substantial
following grace to their beautiful bluesy-folk
sound, multi-layered vocals and meaningful
lyrics, but they sustain their popularity
with their unique inclusion of the harp
and tenacious desire to connect with their
audiences, both on record and during live
performances. “While sharing the experience
with Andrew and Sarah (Pagé, harpist) is
great, I like to think that with each record
we get a little closer to allowing our family
to come with us on the road, particularly as
I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting to be on
the road or stop performing music. Maybe
when I’m in my 60s, but right now it’s one of
the biggest joys I get out of life.”
With German rest stops being the high
and French rest stops the low, it’s safe to say
the Barr Brother’s will continue to move full
speed ahead producing albums that are sure
to keep their audience coming back over
and over again.
The Barr Brothers perform December 17 at
the Imperial (Vancouver)
Queens Of The Breakers was a collaborative effort for the Barr Brothers trio.
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