New Wales unveil their single, “Not Reading Minds”
Canadian rock band, New Wales, will release their new single “Not Reading Minds” from their upcoming album Big Same, set for release on April 14, 2023.
Led by the Winnipeg-based tandem of Sandy Taronno and David Pankratz, the band has established itself as a formidable force in the Canadian music scene, recently receiving a nomination for Rock Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. This accolade follows the band’s successful release of 8 singles and videos during the pandemic, which helped to cultivate a dedicated and growing fanbase.
Big Same, New Wales’ first full-length release, is a fusion of rock and pop that draws heavily from the band’s 90’s influences while also paying tribute to beloved Can-Rock acts such as Sloan, Odds, and Limblifter. The album features 12 songs that seamlessly blend nostalgic with contemporary, providing fans with a singular yet evocative sound. Additionally, the album includes four fully realized 30-second songs, imbued with the personal touch of Sandy and David’s teenage years spent recording demos in their parent’s basements. This little infusion of personality is a testament to the band’s authenticity and helps make the album a ‘no-skip’ listen.
The album was recorded at Argyle Studios with the band’s long-time collaborator and bandmate, Rusty Matyas (Imaginary Cities, The Weakerthans), who served as co-producer, with the majority of the tracks recorded live off the floor. David jumped behind the drums, Sandy grabbed a bass, and Rusty and Matthew Harder (Spirit of the West) held down the guitars. The band aimed to maintain a live feel to the bed tracks. The studio, located in the north end of Winnipeg, provided the perfect setting for the band to create and occasionally tussle with an uninvited raccoon. The end result is an album that is polished yet raw, cohesive yet pleasantly disjointed and serves as a showcase of the band’s musical maturity and songwriting prowess.
Watch the video for “Not Reading Minds” below and learn more about New Wales via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Dave and I are the writers and singers for the rock band New Wales. Just two BFFs that each wanted to be a frontman exactly 50% of the time.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
We realized that the 90s was the funnest time for alt-rock, so we made an album that sounds like a mixtape from when we were 15. In fact, it’s twelve songs clocking in at a mighty 31 minutes so that it would have fit on one side of a cassette!
Dave and I have never tried anything so ‘live off the floor’ before, but we knew that was the type of record we wanted. Almost all of the songs were tracked with me on bass, Dave on drums, and Matt and Rusty on guitars, all close together in a sweaty room and all at once. If one of us messed up – sorry, that take is scratched. Even guitar pedals were put right to tape. We effectively took out all ability to go back and ‘fix’ anything. The whole process felt very genuine, very much like the ‘old days’ of analogue recording that we never quite got to experience.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
Lyrically we pull from our regular ol’ lives. Feelings, experiences, the slow-motion mind-death that social media has wrought, character studies, etc. We try to draw out big concepts from specific moments. And then make it loud.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
Heck yes. We’re doing a local album release with Paper Machetes at The Handsome Daughter in Winnipeg on April 14. Dave and I cut our teeth there many years ago, so it’ll feel a bit like a homecoming.
What’s your goal for 2023?
We just love making stuff. So, more videos, more releases, more everything.