It’s been nearly a year since The Matinée dropped their second full-length album, Dancing On Your Grave — an 11-track powerhouse CD that included lush songs about love and loss.
Now, the Centennial secondary graduates who formed the band 11 years ago are writing for their next recording project, a more laid-back acoustic style of which they hope to showcase a few tunes on Saturday afternoon as they headline the May Days festival’s Party in the Square.
“So far, the stuff we’re writing now, we’re headed back to more of what we did in 2013 for the first album,” said guitarist Matt Rose, who calls Port Moody home. “It’s more of a songwriter’s vibe and less of the rocking guitars. We’re focusing more on the song itself.”
The Matinée, which is set to play two 45-minute sets at the Leigh Square bandshell between 1 and 3 p.m., will also perform their older songs as well as a couple of cover numbers, Rose said.
Later this month, they’ll be on the road for four dates in the interior (Penticton on May 30, Rossland on May 31, Kelowna on June 1 and Clearwater on June 2) to try out the new tunes.
Playing new songs in front of a live crowd “is really a good testing ground. You can get feedback quite quickly and you learn how to make it better and ready for the studio.”
Still, Rose said the band is unsure if it will release a traditional full album next or follow the trend and drop singles for online downloading — as soon as they’re ready — via SoundCloud.
“Pop and hip hop is changing the industry by putting songs out there right away, and sometimes for free,” he said.
For now, though, Rose said they’re enjoying the mellow sounds they’re creating. They haven’t got much going on for this summer (last summer, they played a number of city festivals including Coquitlam’s Kaleidoscope) other than the Mission Folk Music and Skookum festivals.
“I think we just want to take things slower and get a better feel as we progress as a band.”
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AFTER PARTY
After the Rotary May Day Parade on Saturday, the city of Port Coquitlam will host the Party in the Square (formerly known as the Community Block Party) from noon to 5 p.m. at and around the Leigh Square Community Arts Village (beside PoCo city hall).
Indie rockers — and Centennial secondary graduates — The Matinée will headline at the bandshell. There will also be:
• children’s crafts and activities in the Kids’ Zone;
• the Artisan Market, PoCo Biz Alley tradeshow and community displays;
• historical trolley tours leaving every 30 minutes, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.;
• an emergency preparedness fair;
• and food trucks and a beverage garden.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. (pre-show at 10:30 a.m.). Parking in downtown will be limited.
For more details about May Days, including road closures, visit portcoquitlam.ca/maydays.
