Toronto yacht-rock influenced quartet The Boathouse share “Like a Lover,” a bombastic new single that pairs the larger-than-life sound of ‘80s AOR and synth-rock with an unexpectedly sincere declaration of romantic commitment. Built around towering guitars, gleaming synthesizers, huge drums and a detour into Prince-inspired funk, the track emerged from a period of housing uncertainty that put a relationship under pressure and ultimately reinforced the feeling that some challenges are easier to face when someone has your back.
The song was written soon after bassist and vocalist Tristan Armstrong and his partner moved into an apartment in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood. After navigating the city’s fiercely competitive rental market, they had finally found a place they were excited to call home. Just months later, however, their landlord informed them that the property needed to be sold following poor business decisions, abruptly throwing their future into uncertainty.
“This thrust us into a period of disappointment, uncertainty and anxiety,” Tristan explains. “These times can greatly test a relationship, and have a tendency to either strengthen or splinter.”
What can you share with readers about your new project?
“Like A Lover” is the lead single for our upcoming full album coming out Nov 23. The song is an exploration of the dystopian and absurdist themes we usually sing about, but with Tristan’s take on how a stressful time or external force and bring a relationship closer together.
How does this release compare with your other projects you had in the past?
This release is a full on 80’s stadium anthem type sound, which is a genre we love and have hinted at in the past with other tracks, but this one just goes for it! I could imagine someone blasting this out the windows of a Pontiac Trans-Am in 1984.
What about this single makes you most proud?
We are proud of how this turned out given our DIY approach to recording. This was written by our Bass player Tristan when the idea came to him very quickly, writing a verse and a chorus in one sitting and sending the demo to Ryan. The full song was then fleshed out with the band recording bed tracks live in our drummer Josh’s garage. The track was then finished over several home studio sessions in apartments, basements or wherever we could set up a mic or guitar amp.
Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
Like a Lover was released to let people know what The Boathouse project is all about and get people excited about the full album. We tried to make it a pure expression of the sounds and era’s of the music we love.
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
The act of creating music together as a group is best feeling in the world! Just writing and playing the music is inspiration enough for us. Every band member is excited to be at every rehearsal, gig, recording session and business lunch. Many of the members play in other bands, (such as our drummer Josh who plays for The Sam Roberts band) so this project is just purely about creating music we love together.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
Last song: Underworlds by Mammoth Grinder. (Although we love playing yacht rock together, I do tend to listed to Metal a lot… ) Favourite artists: Hard to answer without sending you a 10 page PDF! But: Toto, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, King’s X, Joe Satriani, Duster, Keith Jarrett are a few
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
I really appreciate your time. Is there anything you’d like to share before we sign off?
As mentioned, we usually sing about absurdist and dystopian themes. But since you’ve kindly given me a soapbox for a minute… The world we live in is already an absurd dystopia, it’s just more boring than sci-fi would have you believe. We humans needs to stick together out there!
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