Listen to Final Flash and you might be forgiven for thinking you’re in a 1960s retro time warp with blazes of The Byrds, Pink Floyd and Supertramp.
The Montreal-based up-and-comers are, at their foundation, a psychedelic folk/pop/rock band. “The Beatles and the Rolling Stones are gods. And we like Neil Young and Led Zeppelin and more recently we brought in Nirvana and Radiohead influences,” says bassist Andre Bendahand.
The quintet also includes singer and primary songwriter Joey Chaperon Cyr, guitarist Alexandre Girard, drummer Maxime Hebert and keyboardist Mathieu Bourret. Before they head off to Australia, this very busy touring band will stop by The Taphouse tonight at 8:30 p.m.
As we speak Bendahand is tweaking a video of the indie band’s first single Go Outside. It sprang from the April release of their 10-track debut album Homeless. “Go Outside has feelings of isolation, of a guy going outside of himself in order to move forward.”
Recorded for Indica Records by producer Jace Lasek, the record was picked up for distribution by the monolithic EMI, an uncommon move for a relatively unknown band.
“In our sound mix there’s a lot of pop sensibilities and we have a retro sound that is coming back. We also have an indie sound that has been popular for the last few years and they (EMI) are hoping we break through. We’re just going along for the ride,” says Bendahand.
While the music has a light, fizzy feel, the lyrics contrast with a heavier vibe. The quintet’s ages range from 28 to 32 years, and the lyrics voice the concerns of a generation asking lots of questions. “They are based on global issues and the world of chaos and people not having specific space and being left with nothing.”
One event that opened their eyes to the world was an April to May 2009 visit to China as part of Transmit-China. The tour was an unqualified success and the band was invited back to Asia.
“We’re doing a week of a western Canadian tour and then a month in Australia before we go back to Ontario. By the end of the year we’ll have been away from home for one-half of the year,” says Bendahand who estimates they’ll have completed 150 concerts.
“Our live show is basically rock, but it’s more heavy than our record. It just gets more rage out. We are just five guys doing their best to give it their all.”
