Coming soon (they hope) to a radio station near you is FIRExFIRE, a muscular, synth-heavy, power pop band by former members of Toronto’s well-received (and now defunct) The Framework. They’re determined, they’re ready, and they’ve got plenty of experience cramming songs with hooks until they piñata-burst. And they namedrop T.S. Eliot in interviews. Not too shabby. Fans of reverb and glisten can check them out at Lee’s Palace, tomorrow.
The name: FIRExFIRE. Meaning, fight fire with fire? Two fires side by side?
The name was created by our former drummer. Yes, we already have a former drummer. The one contribution he left us was our name, so it feels like it was meant to be. The actual meaning comes from a famous poem by T.S. Eliot where you avoid the FIRE of hell by going through the FIRE of purification — hence FIRExFIRE (pronounced Fire By Fire). We like the contrast in that, but it’s really just the name we kept coming back to because it had a nice ring to it.
Your lyrics, your bio, your melodies, the aesthetic of your name — they all seem to speak to determination. Am I reading you loud and clear?
Yes, when you’ve been at it as long as we have and the screws are tightening, the struggle to be successful often works its way into the lyrics. But the content usually reflects whatever you’re feeling or going through at the time. Lyrics usually come last and are formed out of whatever syllables I’ve been using in the meantime, because for me melody is king. This way, the lyrics don’t get in the way of the music but they can still have meaning and tell a story.
The synths and basslines give the music a lot of 80s flavor, but sometimes the songwriting’s got a 90s energy to it. Which decade is the bigger influence?
Tough to say. We grew up on music from both the new wave and grunge scenes, so it’s exciting to be working at a time when you can incorporate both and people dig it.
Speaking of 80s synths, I caught a Bon Iver reference on your Twitter ("Writing lyrics for the new album out in the woods of prince edward county. No breakup or cabin involved"). What else are you guys listening to lately?
Some bands we’re listening to right now are Land of Talk, The Dears, Royal Bangs and Rikers.
Scenario: I’m flying over the Atlantic ocean. The pilot’s on the intercom, announcing that the engines have given out as the jetliner nosedives. At the last moment the engines thrum to life and the plane climbs back to cruising altitude. Which FIRExFIRE song is the soundtrack to this scene?
That’s an interesting one… there’s a few that work. Imagining it’s a film, the lead character steps onto the plane with the shades on and checks out who’s there to the song ‘Hesitate’, a slow, funky number. Later, once the pilots realize something is wrong and people start to panic, the song ‘Not That Easy’ would completely ratchet up the tension with it’s tight, menacing groove. The climax would feature the explosive bridge from the song ‘Losing Control’, as the pilots fight to gain control, eventually succeeding. You know, all of our tunes have a cinematic element to them created either by the mood or the largesse of the sound, so the whole album could be a soundtrack. That would be an interesting flick! Let’s make it happen!
I worked for a magazine that covered The Framework — what happened there? Was the split amicable?
The split was amicable. We all have our own reasons for moving on, but for myself it was a combination of being frustrated with the pace of the band over the last year and just feeling like things had run their course.
FIRExFIRE, Lee’s Palace, July 30