They go their own way

Local trio Cherry Chapstick make a triumphant return from Montréal

Glam-tinged trio Cherry Chapstick cite acts like Caribou and James Blake as the main impetus for their forray into electronic production.
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Glam-tinged trio Cherry Chapstick cite acts like Caribou and James Blake as the main impetus for their forray into electronic production.

Cherry Chapstick is a three-piece electronic indie pop band. They’re playing at the Grad Club this Friday with like-minded rising dream-pop outfit, Braids.

Although the group was officially formed in 2009 and is now centered in Montréal, the two original members, Julian Flavin and Nigel Ward, are Kingston locals and childhood friends. Flavin caught up with the Journal over the phone in light of their upcoming gig.

Prior to starting Cherry Chapstick, which is a relatively new project, Flavin jokingly described how he originally met Ward “in elementary school. We were the wingers on a successful hockey team as four-year olds. The friendship blossomed with multiple goals scored.”

They’ve come a long way from the toddlers who “listened to some Barney tapes, dug those.” The guys now split their time between art and school, taking classes at McGill. Ward and current bassist, Dex Garcia, have also studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Their sound combines a wide array of influences to make for a blissed-out 1980s pop version of shoegaze with propulsive dance undertones.

“We’ve changed a bit recently in terms of sound from when we started. It was originally this mix of really warm sounding like winter rock and roll music, where it was like very heavy on the distorted swirling guitars. Not aggressive, sort of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Deerhunter, that kind of thing,” Flavin said.

The biggest step in their evolution came when they got into the new disco style that was coming out of France around 2008 and contemporary electronic artists like Caribou and James Blake.

“We’d listen to it and be like, ‘how the hell do they make music sound like that?’ ” Flavin said this was the main impetus for a push toward electronic production.

“Writing music on the computer, we still do [that] and love the limitless possibilities. Every effect and every possible modulation is at your fingertips,” he said, expounding on the virtues of using a laptop in both the songwriting process and the live show.

“We’re all musicians first and foremost. I sort of want to justify the electronic music, because people accuse you sometimes of having a computer on stage,” he said, adding that the trio use MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) keyboard controllers as well as live drums with bass and guitar hooked up to an assortment of effects pedals.

The band is presently unsigned and has yet to tour extensively, but their EPs and a handful of tracks, like “The Line” and “The Drop,” have garnered a lot of online blog buzz. The ball is definitely rolling, but the boys understand the machinations of today’s industry and are buying their time.

“We kinda wanted to achieve a certain level of notoriety before we leave too far. I feel like you can spend your time better working on music,” said Flavin.

The debut album seems to be the main priority.

“We’re actually about two thirds done our first full length album … working so hard and I think we have a winner, people have started contacting us with record labels and playing outside of Canada. It’s a question of how much you make your record count,” he said.

Flavin said he’s inspired by the accomplishments of his peers such as Kingston’s own PS I Love You and, of course, Braids.

“They’ve been very influential not only musically, just in terms of getting their shit together—very driven individuals and serious about their career.”

However, he’s also cautious and guarded about certain notions of success. Cherry Chapstick has an overall aesthetic that is presently in vogue within the indie scene, like 1980s synth and pop hooks layered beneath hazy gauzes of nostalgia. This attracts many fans but also the inevitable haters.

“There’s been this whole chillwave thing, which has been a scapegoat of music in my opinion,” Flavin said with a laugh.

One thing that makes them stand out is their use of hi-fidelity recording techniques when lo-fi seems to be all the rage.

“We’re into making music that sounds a bit like what you might call chillwave, but no one goes in thinking about that, it’s not a fashion thing. If you’ve listened to our music since we were like 12 years old you would have seen this coming,” he explained.

Cherry Chapstick has the integrity and musical taste to outlast the trend.

“Steely Dan was a huge influence and they’re like kings of yacht rock, it’s just like a natural progression and a somewhat regrettably detested genre. I think we’re making music that’s just pop music, our own unique pop music.”

They seem poised to break out as soon as they release their album. As for a date, “the goal is in April,” Flavin said.

Cherry Chapstick play the Grad Club tonight with Braids. Doors open at 9 p.m.

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