The Ember Glows is back with their EP, Where Spirits Play
Montreal-based indie rock / post-punk quartet, The Ember Glows, has released their new EP Where Spirits Play, a 4-track offering recorded at Closet Studios in Montreal with elements of Simple Minds, The Cult, Echo and the Bunnymen, early U2, Nick Cave, and The Mission at the fore.
Leading up to this EP, The Ember Glows previewed the singles “Silent Love” and “The Mirror.”
About the latter, frontman Martin Saint says this is “about how most nations carry skeletons in their closets – even the so-called peaceful ones. Sooner or later, we must face the weight of history, and the past hits us hard collectively”.
Listen to Where Spirits Play below and learn more about The Ember Glows via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, we are The Ember Glows, a Montreal-based four-piece band formed in 2019 by Richard Bunze on lead guitar, Kevin Hills on bass, Dan Stefik on drums and myself, Martin Saint on vocals and second guitar, and occasional keyboards.
In March 2021, we released our debut E.P called Passerby. A few months later, we performed for the 2021 CMW virtual edition.
As venues opened up again, we’ve maintained a fairly stable gigging schedule and just put out a second E.P called Where Spirits Play.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
Ever since the very enjoyable Passerby sessions, we were very eager to head back to the studio. The opportunity came unexpectedly when our friends John Gurnsey and Daniel Karrasch launched their new recording venture called Closet Studios here in Montreal.
We already had new songs kicking around, some of which we’d even performed live at some point. Being seasoned and well-oiled with the material proved invaluable once the four of us got together for the Where Spirits Play sessions.
Just like with Passerby, we strive for each song to have a distinct sonic, melodic, and lyrical identity while making sure the album remains cohesive.
It’s important to us to cover a wide range of emotions, themes, sounds, and energies.
The title comes from a line in the first single, “Silent Love.” It sums up the overall energy of the album.
A fast-paced edgy opener like “Tomorrow’s The Day” suggests an internal struggle with destructive spirits, whereas a long eerie build-up like “The Mirror” calls to unheard wandering spirits. “Silent Love” is a song that conjures up the spirit of unconditional love watching over you, while “High Fever” really is about the power to make dreams come true.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
Lyrically it can spring from literally anywhere. Personal experience, something I’ve witnessed, a bit of conversation overheard, a current event, a word, a book, a movie that left an impression.
We think we’ve established a certain sound for ourselves. We are aware of where we come from musically. At the same time, the four of us like some very different things, and that will reflect in the music. A song can be groovier, the other more drone, another with a more unusual chord sequence or voicings, etc.
We don’t want every song to sound like more of the same, or we’d get bored very fast.
Do you have any upcoming shows or festivals you’d like to tell us about?
Up until last September 23rd, our main priority has been the launch of the E.P and all that comes with it. That included putting together a show which we played that very night. We’re now looking into the next few months for bookings. We’re very open to playing out of town with compatible artists, and we always like to extend the invitation back too. That goes without saying.
What’s your goal for 2022?
Right now, a goal is to play more festivals come next summer. We’re also considering song publishing libraries. And last but not least, a consistent flow of new material is in the works – the lifeblood of any band. On behalf of the band, thanks so much for your time, Canadian Beats. We’ll catch you some other time, some other place!
Connect with The Ember Glows:
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