Apple Goose Releases Debut EP, End Times
Apple Goose, a Montreal-based indie-rock trio formed in 2021, has released their first EP, End Times.
The songs reflect on the messiness of personal healing, disconnection from others and the environment, and the widespread grumpiness about technology. Strongly tainted by the pandemic (the song Weekend Fascists was written about the Convoy protests in Ottawa), End Times strives to make listeners engage with the uncomfortable feelings of this decade with a sense of playfulness and stubborn hope.
Overall, Apple Goose is about soft punk aesthetics, soulful rhythms, introverted protest song vibes, and much awkward dancing.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
We are called Karey, Milan, and Thomas, and we are called Apple Goose when we’re all in the same room together. We have day jobs and/or school, and we like to make scrappy garage/indie rock music together when we are not working. It mostly happens in Montreal.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Thomas: Our first EP is called “End Times”, it’s a collection of songs that were written mostly during the pandemic lockdown, and in the aftermath. The songs are about transformation and the discomfort, grief, and hopefulness that come with any process of change. Some songs talk about personal transformation through facing the idea of death and loss (Fullum Sighs, Do Sums), and growing in self-knowledge (Homesick, Dad’s Song). The other songs are mostly about social change and the unhelpful responses some people seem to have in the face of crises (Cute, Weekend Fascists). There’s a sort of sly humor to some of the lyrics and the project as a whole – we’re using playfulness to explore a kind of imperfect human element in response to darker themes.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process?
Karey: Thomas comes up with a vocal melody and writes lyrics to go with an idea that someone had – a guitar riff Milan might have come up with at some point, or chords that Thomas thinks go well together. Then he records a simple demo to send to the band. When all three of us get together, Milan and Thomas figure out who will play bass and who will play guitar on the song, and then we sort of come up with parts of the song we think sound nice…
Thomas: And Karey pulls drumlines out of nowhere to provide the backbone to the song ideas, and usually refuses to take credit for how good they are.
Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
Thomas: I spend a lot of my spare time walking and doing the dishes. This is when things click into place for me in terms of words and melodies, and I record voice memos and add lines to the world’s longest phone note. Coming up with new ideas requires a kind of focused boredom and lots of patience; the rest is just all three of us experimenting around a core song structure until we like the way it sounds.
Milan: Music wise, I believe you can’t force creation. Ideas will always come to you when you don’t expect it. But when you listen to a lot of stuff, and you play a lot, obviously you get more creative.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release?
Karey: We are currently working on a second EP, we should start recording this summer. It will be a sort of sequel to End Times, with new themes that we will develop.
Thomas: It will be about even more transformation since this seems to be a decade that just keeps on giving.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
Milan: Just the fact that we stuck with the project long enough to write original material and record it feels like an accomplishment! We started this band on a whim and are pretty proud of where the project is going.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Milan: Really different from our style and certainly not an “upcoming” artist, but contemporary jazz icon Kamasi Washington is currently on tour, with two dates in Canada, in Toronto and Vancouver. It is definitely a performance people should see live!
Thomas: Moon Panda sound nothing like us, and yet – they are wonderful.
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