Ottawa’s Fools of Love proudly presented their debut full-length album, The Howl and the Whisper, earlier this month.
In their debut, Fools of Love deliver a great, big rock album that’s bursting with heart and emotion. It pairs that intensity with rich atmospheres and inspired songwriting, resulting in soaring choruses and explosive moments while leaving room to catch your breath in all the right spots.
The Howl and the Whisper is a record about growth. It’s about growing into the person you want to be, and the person you should be. It’s about owning your regrets and learning from your mistakes. It’s about loving more deeply and thinking more broadly. It’s about giving priority to the things that matter most. It’s about helping the people around you, and letting them help you. It’s about finding something inside you that you didn’t know was there. And finally, it’s about living a better version of yourself and leaving a legacy that you can take pride in.
The album was recorded and produced by Cory Bergeron (Safe to Say, Heavy Hearts, PINE) at Pebble Studios. It also features guest performances by DeeDee Butters of The PepTides and Ryan MacDonald of The Honest Heart Collective. Check out the album, The Howl and the Whisper, below!
We managed to catch up with the band as they talked about their latest release and more!
So how has the release of The Howl and the Whisper gone down with fans?
It seems to be well-received. There was definitely no pressure of expectation or anything, so we came out with our best and hoped it would resonate with people. We’ve heard really nice things from people but there are still plenty more we’d like to reach.
Can you tell us something about the release no one else knows?
While we were in the studio we started recording the acoustic guitar for “Sleeping on a Train” in the building’s washroom to give it some natural reverb, but it didn’t sound that good and it smelled extremely not good so we cut that idea pretty quickly.
What’s your favourite track from the album?
Personally, I’d go with “The Evergreens” or “Live Forever (Never Die).” I think the songwriting for “The Evergreens” is really solid, and it’s got so much heart and emotion. And I find “Live Forever” just sounds so pretty, and it’s got these mountains and valleys that take you on a trip. The lyrics in both of those songs are among the most passionate on the record, as well.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
I’d love to work with any band that has a wide variety of instruments played by really talented musicians, particularly a generous brass section. The Roots or the E Street Band, or something. Bon Iver’s band when they were touring his second album was very cool. Get those horns honking, saxes squawking, maybe with some keyboards and strings, too. I’m not exactly sure how we’d squeeze that all into the style we play, but I’d love to find out.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
I work as an editor and freelance writer, and I’m in the very early stages of a novel that I’d like to work on a lot more soon once I have some proper time. James and Brent are involved in music in other ways as well – they work pretty much full-time as touring musicians and sound techs.
Are you planning on a tour at all this year to coincide with the release?
We’d definitely like to get out on the road some more, especially this summer. We don’t have concrete plans yet, but stay tuned.
What was the first ever gig you went to?
I was just turning 14, and I went to see Alexisonfire at Bluesfest, an annual summer music festival in Ottawa. That of all shows being my first one, at that age, was pretty wild.
What’s the alternative music scene like in Canada at the moment?
There’s plenty to be excited about, especially that’s still in the underground. We’ve seen some well-deserved breakthroughs over the last few years. It’s been really exciting watching Toronto-area punk get noticed with PUP, Greys, The Dirty Nil, Single Mothers, etc. Artists like A Tribe Called Red (from our hometown) and Tanya Tagaq have been doing a fantastic job of bringing Indigenous music, culture and history into the spotlight with innovative styles. We definitely seem to be collectively obsessed with indie-rock: Japandroids, Alvvays, Hollerado, and the more folksy stuff like Kalle Mattson and Elliot Maginot, these have all been exciting breakthroughs and emerging artists here in Canada. There’s even more that are still on the cusp and really underappreciated. Bands like Safe to Say (Markham, Ont.) and The Honest Heart Collective (Thunder Bay, Ont.) are some friends of ours that are examples of really talented bands that are gaining traction, but still not as big as they should be within their own scenes and beyond.