When Toronto band Whale Tooth formed, they had one message: get on your dancing shoes. The pop-rockers have ignited dance floors since 2008, and have shared the stage with fellow Canuck indie-rock gold such as Tokyo Police Club, Hey Ocean! and Mother Mother. With the recent release of their first full-length, Search Party, they’re tapping into their dark side and combining hook-heavy, effortless vocals with jolting, energetic rhythms.
We caught up with frontwoman Elise LeGrow and lead guitarist Norm Maschke to chat about their new album, their tour and ’80s punk rock.
So tell me about the band’s name. Where did Whale Tooth come from?
Maschke: It came from a family heirloom that was passed down to me from my father.
How would you describe your sound?
LeGrow: Art-rock. Poppy. Danceable.
Maschke: I think it’s like Metric meets Blondie.
Your full-length has been a long time in the making. What was it like to finally put out the record?
LeGrow: It was a long time coming. We were sitting on the record for a little while and it was really nice to be able to put it out. We’ve been playing these songs for a little while now, and now we’ve had a chance to work them out and gauge the audience response. It’s great to have them share in these songs now.
It seems that the new album, Search Party, is a lot darker than your EP, especially the single “Hibernation Song.” Was that a natural progression?
Maschke: Yeah, the record has more attitude and a darker mood to it. It’s not like we said, "Okay we’re going to start writing songs that are very far from the old material," it just gravitated towards that. It’s a good example of how the band evolved.
Who were you guys listening to when recording?
Maschke: Between all of us, it’s really different. For me, personally, I like a lot of contemporary music, so Deerhunter, Beach House, or the classics, like Sonic Youth.
LeGrow: For me, particularly when it comes to vocals, I love Joan Jett and Janis Joplin. I’ve been getting a lot more into ’80s punk, and certainly a lot of our new material has more of a punk vibe to it. The Ramones and bands like that have had an influence on our more recent material.
Elise, you have a pretty accomplished solo career. How does that compare to playing with the band?
LeGrow: It’s a totally different project. The band is a lot more of a democracy and we all work together in the songwriting. Whereas with the solo stuff, I have a lot more — control is the wrong word — I have the final call. In the band, Alex [Denike] and Norm write a huge chunk of the song, and the other guys are involved too, so it’s more of a democracy.
Any hints on the upcoming record?
LeGrow: Definitely more punk. It definitely keeps with the high energy, and it’s certainly more accessible.
When can we expect it?
Maschke: We’re definitely going to walk before we run. We just wrote this album and we’re probably going to tour in the fall. As for the next release, our goal is ultimately to start recording as soon as possible — there’s no time frame.
