Postcards: Caught on Tape

Postcards’ self-titled cassette, released by Fixture Records on Valentine’s Day 2008, is like an old, treasured, washed out letter and an album of sepia-toned photographs.

Hoping to relay the experience of enjoying a piece as a whole, they decided to release 11 tracks on cassette tape rather than digitally, seeking to steer clear of the iTunes buy-a-song-at-a-time mentality, and going back to the roots of enjoying an album for its entirety. «The CD player in my car is broken, so I really got into cassettes; it’s a different format and it brings you such a unique experience. Singles are fine, but you’re missing out on the work that is put into creating an ensemble and a piece as a whole,» says Dimitri Ohan, one of the band’s founders.

Bedroom Beats
The noise-pop foursome rotating around roommates and BFFs Dimitri Ohan and Filip Minata, with a revolving door of drummers and bass players, have been playing shows on the weekly around town, but are looking to scale down, wanting to perform at more house shows or even just inviting people over at rehearsals instead of the frequent load in and out of venue shows. «Playing bars gets to be alienating and impersonal,» says Ohan over coffee at Cafe Cagibi.

It hasn’t always been moody soundscapes and romantic lyrics for this twosome, however and, before achieving their current sound, the pair explored the possibilities of industrial techno, playing only a single show at Mutek before returning to their guitars and drum machines.

Prior to their Pop Montreal show, they were joined by a temporary drummer, having lost their previous player in their worst show ever, where the one attendee and the sound technician left mid-set. «We’ve gone through over 6 drummers,» says Ohan of their bad luck with percussionists, «Our songs are very basic drumming-wise. It’s hard to tell drummers not to play what they are naturally inclined to play.»

These days, they play with bassist Evan Montpellier, recording in their home studio and seeking the advice and support of the other bands on their label roster. While the instability of members is one of the factors collaborating in the lengthy lag between their first and only release and their upcoming one, a full-length they hope to put out in December, the band is still discussing the direction they plan on taking, toying with the idea of swapping their signature fuzzy bedroom recordings for a more tailored studio sound. One thing is for sure, even if they step out of their bedroom and into the studio, their future efforts will once again feature their signature haunting and heavy melodies, in tune for what will most likely be a cold and dark winter.

November 22nd | Postcards
Friendship Cove (matinee show)
215A, Murray
myspace.com/montrealpostcards