Ottawa-based experimental electro-funk/pop band Hilotrons is officially releasing their seventh album, To Trip With Terpsichore, on Feb. 24.
The band worked with odd time signatures, dub elements, and synthesizers to create a “short, funky experimental pop record,” according to lead singer/songwriter Mike Dubue.
“Every creative process is a journey. In this record a lot of our songs are rooted in angry subject matter, but I don’t think it comes across as angry,” he said.
Although the record can be streamed and downloaded online for free, everyone who buys it will also get an entirely new bonus record. The band has also released a video to accompany their song “Real Game Changer,” and plans to slowly release four more videos.
Hilotrons recently played Megaphono, a music showcase festival, in Ottawa from Feb. 3-5. Upon release of the new album, Dubue said they will be playing shows across Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes with more tour dates to be announced. One of their biggest shows will be on May 1 at the Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield, Que., with live visuals produced by Hard Science, Dubue said.
Hilotrons formed 14 years ago and have a history of experimenting and pushing the limits of their musical capabilities. The synth-driven band has scored films from the silent era and performed the music as live cinematic events.
Dubue has composed film scores for seven independent feature films and collaborated with Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry. The band’s last album was a collaboration with poet Dave O’Meara, who read selections of his poetry on the record.
“Every record is different. My interest in music is to constantly evolve and push the boundaries of what we’re trying to do,” Dubue said.
To Trip With Terpsichore, whose name is a reference to the 1936 Fred Astaire film Swingtime, was predominantly recorded live off the floor after an intense rehearsal process.
“I’ve been wanting to make records like that for a long time. After rehearsing, we got the songs recorded all in one day, and the album was finished in a week,” Dubue said.
Dubue listens to a lot of film soundtracks, classical, and experimental music, but he said he finds inspiration in people.
“I feel fortunate that I’ve mostly been musically inspired by friends, people I hang out with and play music with,” he said.
These friends include Parry—who Dubue calls “a brilliant musician and composer,”—O’Meara, Samir Khan, and Josh Dolgin from Socalled.
Despite the fact that Hilotrons just finished a new record, Dubue is already thinking of future projects.
“Although there is major continuity among all our records, the next album will be drastically different. I like raw records, instead of trying to polish something. It leaves a lot of room for spontaneity, and that’s how we’ll continue with our next record,” he said.
To Trip With Terpsichore can be streamed online for free and a vinyl version will be available on April 18.
