PEI indie band give us the scoop on their new album
Charlottetown band the North Lakes are currently working on their sophomore album. We caught up with lead singer and guitarist Nathan Gill on Friday night before their show at the Seahorse Tavern in Halifax. The new album, set to be released May 5th, is titled Grand Prix.
Since the release of their debut Cobra in 2010, the band has undergone a few changes in personnel with singer Gillian no longer a member. Nathan Gill is also moonlighting as the bass player for fellow Charlottetown band Two Hours Traffic. Gill says being in two bands at once “keeps you on your toes creatively.”
“Two Hours is very much stepping back and playing a completely different instrument. Where as with North Lakes, it’s out front,” said Gill. He proceeded to use what he called “millions of cliches” to explain how being in Two Hours Traffic allows him to spread his wings a little more. The first album sounded like a band lost somewhere in between genres, wandering between alt-country and blues rock. At their live shows, it’s evident they are a rock and roll band, no holds barred. “On the first record, we were kind of a rock band in denial as far as going with a lot more folk elements. I think some of that stuff is still there, but now (there’s) more attention to rock songs in a more traditional sense.”
Gill said personal experiences have influenced the record and there will be “a few more thematic threads.” As for music the band has been listening to lately, there has been a lot of Elvis Costello, Supergrass and Television.
