Canadian pop-punk trio Courage My Love have just completed the entirety of the Vans Warped Tour, making their mark on the music map.
Formed in 2009, the trio won a battle of the bands contest in 2010, got signed to Warner Music Canada and continued to rise from their. They’re no strangers to the touring life, though, having supported some huge names and done a Warped date once before. The band consists of twins Mercedes (vocals, guitar) and Phoenix (drums, vocals) and their friend Brandon (bass). They released their first EP, For Now, in 2011. The 7 track EP opens with title track ‘For Now’, which is an upbeat track with a positive message, encompassing the message the band (according to their online bio) strive to spread. The EP is pretty strong for a first release, with the right mix of tracks like ‘For Now’ and more seemingly personal tracks like ‘Disappear’ and ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ which is slightly less upbeat but the lyrics give a more personal insight that the listener can appreciate and feel connected to the band.
As far as talent goes, Courage My Love certainly have no shortage. Despite the unfortunate prejudice of some, Mercedes proves to be more than adequate on both vocals and guitar, her clean cut voice providing a nice contrast with some heavier guitar solos (don’t believe me? Check out her ‘You Don’t Know How’ guitar play through video here). Like her sister, Phoenix’s drumming is in no way simple or repetitive, but instead the differences in pace and beat are clear from track to track, fitting in well with the genre and the other instruments.
The bands most recent release, Becoming, is a nice follow up to For Now, beginning deceptively slow with clear vocal contributions from both twins (told you they were talented) and building up on this. I can imagine it’s a great EP to hear live as, unlike For Now, there’s slightly more variation in the songs on Becoming which goes to show that Courage My Love aren’t afraid to experiment and build on their sound (rather than release two very similar sounding EPs). Each track is different from the next whilst still being suited to the genre and the overall EP. Tracks ‘Unfamiliar Sheets’ and ‘All I Need’ seem to have an underlying electronic sound which gives the listener the variety you’d expect more in a full length, which makes you appreciate what Courage My Love have achieved in the space of just 8 tracks.
As far as full lengths go, hopefully the band will release one soon. If you’re in the US, you can catch them on tour in November/December (dates here), and all their music is available on their web store or via iTunes. They’re definitely worth checking out no matter what you usually listen to – you never know, you might be surprised at what you hear.
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