First Listen: The Februarys “We’ll Find Our Own Way Home” and Domenica’s “The Luxury”

Be warned: If you buy The Februarys' debut album, We'll Find Our Own Way Home, and press play wanting hard-hitting straight-up rock, you'll have probably purchased the wrong record.

As the title of the album's second single explains, the Vancouver-based rock quartet will likely be considered "Rock'N'Roll's Enemy" by most hard-core and classic-rock enthusiasts. But should there ever be a brawl between sub-genres, the army of pop-rock fans around the world will surely stand behind this, the newest edition to the plethora of generic radio-friendly rock available today.

While their angst-laden vocals, electric guitar, and percussion heavy sound is nothing new, The Februarys do offer some light and shade from track to track. Fast-paced "Time is Never on Your Side," and "Darker Side of Things," keep the drumbeat quick, and the fist-punching punks will be pleased with a sound akin to that which shot Panic! At the The Februarys will find stock with Plain White Tees and Jimmy Eat World fans. Disco to fame. These are the type of tunes that blared from your stereo as a teenager after you told your mother you hated her and then slammed the door in her face.

Shifting gear, the rock-ballads "Forevermore," and "My Weary Hand," take the pace down a notch, with a sound found in many a break-up scenes on television teen dramas. Lead vocalist and guitarist Lucas Lawrence keeps the riffs heavy, but wails long and loud to share his pain with his audience. Lawrence says, "having the listener relate to our lyrics is the most important thing about our music." And, sure, we can all relate to a little heartache now and then.

Influenced by guitar-based bands like the Beatles, Eagles and Tom Petty, The Februarys debut album probably won't appeal to fans of those originators.  We'll Find Our Own Way Home will, however, find stock with the masses of comfortable rock listeners who spin Plain White Tees (their fellow tour buddies) and Jimmy Eat World records habitually.

We'll Find Our Own Way Home was released by Wind-Up Records on August 18, 2009.  For more info visit: www.thefebs.com and www.myspace.com/thefebruarys

Domenica's debut release The Luxury is more full-throttle rock that what The Februarys offer.

The Winnipeg-bred four-piece has taken inspiration from the rock groups who shaped the genre over the past two decades, and brought it together to conceive their album. Listening to the opening track "Music," takes you back to Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam circa 1990 - with low sounding grunge riffs - but keeps a modern gritty-rock sound.

You wouldn't know it listening to most of the tracks, but the band's vocals are by lead "babe" (title compliments of the band's promotional material) Bekki Friesen.  Friesen has quite the octave range, and it helps to keep things fresh as the album spins. She can scream like a man, and she can sing like a lady. Tracks like "The Long Road," and "Free" sound a bit like Evanescence, but with less spiritual influence, and easier to palate, but at other times, you would swear it's a man howling.

The sound straddles the line between hook-filled rock and metalcore, and they pull off some psychedelic riffs as well. When the tunes slow down, there is an ominous feeling breaking through, eliciting the dark and edgy emotions within.

Domenica found some rock royalty to help them on their way.  Produced by Juno award winner Brandon Friesen, tracked at former Guns'n'Roses drummer Matt Sorum's studio with Nine Inch Nails and Billy Talent mastering engineer Tom Baker, with three songs co-written by POD's Macos Curiel and four songs featuring him, the band were well taken care of  on the production side of things. The album is well produced, and its easy to detect the influences of these mentors on the sound, particularly the parallels between the Guns'n'Roses classics and Domenica's track "Vampires."

The quartet have taken their sound international, performing in Los Angeles, Berlin and London, and with persistence, and some rock notables behind them, Domenica could build a strong fan-base by borrowing from those well established by their contributors.

Domenica are currently on a cross-Canadian tour. The Luxury was released on August 15, 2009.  For more info, visit:  www.domenica.ca

(Cult)ure's Innika La Fontaine is a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Australian expat.  She can be contacted through her editor at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Related Articles: The Domenica Interview

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