Yeah, sure, summer is all about The Beaches. But autumn has a place for them too, and the Canadian alt-pop band is set to crash our Allston shores with a show Saturday (November 12) at Brighton Music Hall, a date that was rescheduled from June. In advance of the gig, and fresh off the release of summer singles like “Orpheus” and “Grow Up Tomorrow” — which has perhaps the best bit of indie rock whistling since Bleached’s “Hard To Kill” — we caught up with the band over email to discuss winning JUNOS, playing Boston, and what we should do whenever we get back to the great city of Toronto.
We sent over a few questions via email just as The Beaches were set to embark on their first-ever headlining tour of the United States, and the sentiment of the communication still rings true. Jordan Miller (vocals, bass), Kylie Miller (guitar), Leandra Earl (keyboards, guitar), and Eliza Enman-McDaniel (drums, percussion) took the time to fire back some intrepid answers with ease.
Check it out below.
Vanyaland: Hello Jordan, Kylie, Leandra, and Eliza! You’re coming back to Boston to play Brighton Music Hall — we’ve asked this a lot of bands coming back through town, but how good does it feel to tour regularly again after the chaos that was 2020 (and some of 2021)?
Leandra Earl: Hello! We’re so stoked to be playing Boston! After 2 years of not being able to play, we feel like we’re coming back into it more excited and energized than ever. We’re a live band, so without shows it definitely felt like a huge piece of ourselves was missing. It’s good to be back!!
Hard-hitting follow-up question: How excited are you all to be going on your first headlining tour of the US?
Leandra Earl: We’re equal parts nervous and excited! We feel very comfortable in our Canadian bubble, so it’s slightly terrifying to venture out and try to win over our American neighbo(u)rs. We love playing shows in the states and have absolutely loved meeting all the fans along the way, so we’re just hoping everyone’s ready to come back and rock out with us! This will be the first of many U.S. headlining tours for The Beaches and we can’t WAIT!
Your recent “Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album)” record just won a JUNO for Rock Album of the Year. How cool was that, and what did that type of recognition did mean to the band?
Kylie Miller: That was such an honour! To be recognized as a force in the Canadian rock music scene, with it being a mostly male dominated genre was a really special moment for us.
We’ve been vibing to The Beaches’ two awesome new tracks: “Let’s Go” and “Grow Up Tomorrow” — both are super upbeat and lively, and probably sound amazing at shows. But from the band’s perspective, which is more fun to play live, and why?
Kylie Miller: We haven’t actually played “Grow Up Tomorrow” live yet but I’m sure it’s gonna get the crowd moving. Let’s Go always is a great song to play live. The crowd gets really into it and always ends up dancing their hearts out.
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Speaking of “Grow Up Tomorrow,” we can’t stop whistling to it. How did that whistling part come about and get worked into the song?
Jordan Miller: Thank you so much! I’m not sure exactly how the whistles got in there, I think I just wanted a hooky melodic part to finish off the chorus and I just sort of came up with the whistle thing on the spot.
We believe you’ve played Boston a few times before, notably with our city’s very own Passion Pit back in 2019 (we love Michael dearly). Any cool Boston memories or stories from past visits to our fair city?
Jordan Miller: We love Boston! We haven’t had too much time to explore but the last couple times we’ve been there we went to Zaftigs Delicatessen. I like to walk to the deli and check out all of the beautiful old houses where a bunch of the university students live along the way.
What are some cool things in Toronto that you would recommend to someone from Boston? (We used to come up for Blow Up at El Mocambo back in the day!
Eliza Enman-McDaniel: Yes!! I would say to definitely visit Kensington market and check out all the shops + cool restaurants and bars there. Then definitely head to a Jays game, which is almost a Toronto right of passage.
After this tour, what’s next for The Beaches?
Eliza Enman-McDaniel: After this tour we’re going to head back in to our Toronto studio and continue writing, recording and practicing. We have a few exciting things already lined up for 2023 that we can’t wait to share.
THE BEACHES + PAPER LADY + TROPHY WIFE + DJ CARBO :: Saturday, November 12 at Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. in Allston, MA :: Venue page :: Advance tickets