Back in Ottawa for the fourth time, playing in what was nicknamed, “The Chicken Coop,” The Kents performed a secret show featuring songs from their upcoming EP, Within Waves, on Sept. 29. They played for a close and intimate audience, sharing the stage with band, Blue Hill.
Perhaps the immediate affinity towards the group may have been the venue. The secret show, held in the childhood home of drummer Tanner Pare, added a sense a personal element to the space. Or maybe it was the amiable yet confident lead singer, Warren Frank, who frequently addressed the small but enthusiastic audience throughout the show. Each and every thing done by the group contributed to their seamless performance of the band’s soon to be released EP.
But, this makes the group sound like a pretentious hipster band, which is the furthest thing from the truth. In reality, The Kents are about as down to earth as you can get. Whether it’s talking about your long-distance relationship or referencing the musical development of Taylor Swift, Frank is by far one of the most humble and yet charismatic people you couldan come across. Charming and inclusive, these are the values to be found in this Lindsay, Ont.-based ensemble.
Standing amongst the crowd in the small sauna-of-a-place, you could feel the music radiating and pulsating through the venue. From this experience alone, anyone at the show could see the immense passion and hard work that was put into the production of the Kents’ new EP.
The album is said to have taken a significant amount of influence from Canadian band, Half Moon Run, and American bands, Twin Peaks and My Morning Jacket. The EP will drop on Oct. 13, acting as a sort of transition piece between their first recording, Waking, and an album which they hope to produce in the near future.
“Waking was really, really pop centric. and Jjust us spending more and more time in a band, we’ve drifted from that a little bit. But not so much,” Frank said. “Our goal is to write an album, full length. And we put out this EP so we didn’t just release an album two years later which wasn’t at all the same.”
As for what listeners should expect from the record, Frank said that their music has stayed within the realm of indie pop, but has also definitely matured from their last release. While they wanted to still focus on ‘accessible melodies,’ there was a great deal of emphasis placed on expanding the dynamic quality of their songs.
“We want to write about something we care about . . . I think this is the kind of work that maybe will take two listens to get into, and that’s kinda the way we want it to be,” Frank said. “We want people to meet us there, to listen to the song.”
After the release, the band plans to focus on expanding themselves by releasing an album and hitting up venues across Canada and possibly the United States as well. The Kents will be taking to the stage at several universities and colleges this fall.
“We want to play everywhere we can, we still feel very young and fresh and green,” Frank said. “We still have so much to learn.”
Photo by Meagan Casalino
