Two Hours Traffic grow up on new album, Territory
Matthew Hadley
Issue date: 11/24/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
I awoke on Sunday knowing that I had an interview with Two Hours Traffic. What I didn't know was that when the TV got turned on, I would hear their song, "Backseat Sweetheart", soundtracking Chuck's Day Off as the host cooked beer-battered shrimp and garlic bread.
"We thought we should hit him up for some free grub as we passed through Montreal, but we didn't get to do that," said Alec O'Hanley, guitarist and vocalist for the band.
It shouldn't have been such a shock. Two Hours Traffic's profile has consistently grown since their self-titled debut, culminating in a Polaris Prize nomination for 2007's Little Jabs. Their new album, this year's Territory, is certain to continue this upward arc in notoriety.
If Little Jabs was the pop masterpiece that many critics hailed it as, with its hit single "Jezebel", then Territory is certainly the logical follow-up. Produced once again by Joel Plaskett, Territory has a much darker vibe than its predecessor, yet its songs remain in the same sing-along pop styles that get stuck in your head for days.
"It certainly wasn't a deliberate effort to go darker," said O'Hanley, "but it's kind of a reflection of our headspace when we were writing the record. I don't think we're the same [cheery] young individuals we were at 18, so we're just really becoming equated with romance and all of the rollercoaster-like notions associated with it."
This is evident in songs like the album opener "Noisemaker", where singer/guitarist Liam Corcoran - who is joined by bassist/vocalist Andrew MacDonald, drummer Derek Ellis and O'Hanley - sings, "The one I want to contain is acting half of her age". First single, "Territory", finds Corcoran calling out former flames by name, with verses suggesting a deep seeded bitterness towards their actions.
But there's more to the album than just lyrics of love's lost and scorned. With Territory, the band has looked beyond relationships for inspiration, evident in songs like "Drop Alcohol" and "Lost Boys".
"We thought we should hit him up for some free grub as we passed through Montreal, but we didn't get to do that," said Alec O'Hanley, guitarist and vocalist for the band.
It shouldn't have been such a shock. Two Hours Traffic's profile has consistently grown since their self-titled debut, culminating in a Polaris Prize nomination for 2007's Little Jabs. Their new album, this year's Territory, is certain to continue this upward arc in notoriety.
If Little Jabs was the pop masterpiece that many critics hailed it as, with its hit single "Jezebel", then Territory is certainly the logical follow-up. Produced once again by Joel Plaskett, Territory has a much darker vibe than its predecessor, yet its songs remain in the same sing-along pop styles that get stuck in your head for days.
"It certainly wasn't a deliberate effort to go darker," said O'Hanley, "but it's kind of a reflection of our headspace when we were writing the record. I don't think we're the same [cheery] young individuals we were at 18, so we're just really becoming equated with romance and all of the rollercoaster-like notions associated with it."
This is evident in songs like the album opener "Noisemaker", where singer/guitarist Liam Corcoran - who is joined by bassist/vocalist Andrew MacDonald, drummer Derek Ellis and O'Hanley - sings, "The one I want to contain is acting half of her age". First single, "Territory", finds Corcoran calling out former flames by name, with verses suggesting a deep seeded bitterness towards their actions.
But there's more to the album than just lyrics of love's lost and scorned. With Territory, the band has looked beyond relationships for inspiration, evident in songs like "Drop Alcohol" and "Lost Boys".
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