Interview: Toronto's Streets To Ourselves Talks About His New Single/Video "Turning Tables"
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“To me the name Streets To Ourselves is supposed to invoke an intimate and inclusive feeling. That’s a special moment when you and a few friends or a partner are out on foot and have the streets to yourselves, especially if they are normally busy streets. ”
We're huge fans of your new single/video "Turning Tables". What was your creative process for the development of the song itself, and how did you come up with the treatment for the visual?
Thanks so much! As is often the case I wrote the template of the song on guitar first. Next I came up with the vocal melodies and then wrote the lyrics. The first line in the chorus “Or you’ll never know the place you came undone” just sort of popped in to my head while I was thinking about someone I know. Lyrically I worked backwards from that line. I figured out the Bass and Drums last.
As for the video, I had decided to compose and perform this album entirely myself and I wanted the video to carry on this concept. I thought it would be cool if I played three different characters, each with different looks: the singer/guitarist, the bass player, and the drummer. I wanted it to look as believable as possible, so I committed to the bit.
I grew my hair and beard out for years to make the video. Once everything was ready, we shot all the scenes of myself as the drummer with long hair and a beard. Then I cut my hair shoulder length and kept only a mustache, and we filmed all the bass player scenes. Lastly I cut my hair short and got rid of the last of my facial hair, and we filmed the singer/guitarist parts. It’s either that or I shot the video with my two brothers.
"Turning Tables" appears on your newly released album "Suspension Of Disbelief"; how long did it take to complete the project and what were some things/people/places that inspired you artistically during its creation?
I started writing most of the songs that ultimately made it on to “Suspension Of Disbelief” many years ago. They are essentially a collection of songs that didn’t fit with the other musical projects I was a part of at the time. I made Streets To Ourselves my main artistic focus and started refining the songs in 2017. I recorded the EP “Pitch Correction” in 2018, and I recorded the full-length album “Suspension of Disbelief” in 2019. Unfortunately a videographer cancelling on me at the last minute and then the covid-19 pandemic delayed the filming of the music video until summer 2020.
“Suspension Of Disbelief” is a very personal record to me, both musically and lyrically. It is largely inspired by both the positive and negative events that have happened in my life in the last decade or so. The death of my father, the highs and lows of friendships as well as romantic relationships, and also the successes and failures that come with having ambition and pursuing my dreams. Lyrically it focuses a little bit more on the things I’ve struggled with, but there is also a recurring theme of hope and optimism throughout the album.
What does your solo project's name "Streets To Ourselves" represent?
I think it’s open to interpretation, in the same way that lyrics are open to interpretation. To me the name Streets To Ourselves is supposed to invoke an intimate and inclusive feeling. That’s a special moment when you and a few friends or a partner are out on foot and have the streets to yourselves, especially if they are normally busy streets.
It usually only happens late at night or very early in the morning, and I find there’s a certain romantic feeling to it. That’s the same kind of feeling I’m trying to convey with the music that I make, as if it’s super late and the listener and I have the streets to ourselves.
How would you say that "Suspension Of Disbelief" differs from your 2019 EP "Pitch Correction" thematically and sonically?
I think thematically “Pitch Correction” is somewhat similar to “Suspension Of Disbelief”, and that is by design. In some ways I thought of the EP as a trailer of sorts for the full-length album.
Sonically they are also similar in that they are both very dynamic: quite loud and full in some spots and then quiet and striped down in others. However I went for much more of a raw sound in regards to the production on the EP, whereas on the full-length the production is supposed to be more polished.
Production-wise the louder parts on the EP are more Garage Rock, and the louder parts on the full-length lean towards more of a slick Pop Punk production style.
With 2020 close to conclusion, what are some of your goals musically for 2021?
It’s hard to set attainable goals because no one knows how long the pandemic will last. However I’m planning on recording a follow up full-length album to “Suspension Of Disbelief” in 2021. I would also love to start performing live as a solo acoustic act.
I’d also like to recruit a bass player and drummer to form a live band. At the very least I plan on composing more music and growing as a singer, songwriter, and musician.
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