Music

Saskatoon's Avulsions put punk out to pasture

by Tom Whalen

The Avulsions are a clear example of modern freeform music.

Even though the idea of a power trio seems like a typical setup for a punk band, their complex song structures are nowhere near the tired stereotypes of rock. The Saskatoon band moves horizontally through tangents and fragments, bringing the listener on an unexpected journey into new frontiers.

Their vocals are sparse and their extended instrumentals morph slowly. The Avulsions cut loose from familiar structures into an empty spectral field. They embody a new idea of taking a familiar format and subverting it beyond recognition. In fact, space is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear them; the rhythm is a Möbius strip of sound, the bass is limitless, and the guitar spends most of its time on the highest frets possible.

Listen to the first song from The Avulsions’ debut album and read on for an interview below.

AUX: How did the band come about?

The Avulsions: The three of us started playing together a couple years ago. We were pretty much strangers when we started out, so we didn’t really know what to expect or what was about to transpire. For a while, that turned out to be making dick jokes and from there evolved into a suicide pact and unshakable bond. I don’t know, our songs are really all just about the end of the world now.

Musically, what is the band into?

Many things, and that’s changing all the time. Lately we tend to gravitate to music based more on the sentiments expressed than the actual instrumentation. Those sentiments are extremes of panic, fear, collapse, the struggle between hope and futility. That isn’t necessarily something conveyed through lyrics, though. As far as listening, that tends to fall somewhere between This Heat and Fad Gadget. Things like Suicide, Scott Walker, The Wake, and Brainbombs.

What were you listening to in the van during your last tour?

Modern English – Mesh and Lace
The Cure – Pornography
Conduct – Fear and Desire (We pretty much listened to only this Winnipeg band the whole way back from Sled Island last year)

We also listen to podcasts occasionally.

I’ve seen the Avulsions play twice, and both times I wished I’d recorded it. But now I hear you have an album on the way! Please tell me everything about it.

We are currently recording a full-length with our friend Josh Rohs. We are taking our time to acheive a more polished production than the DIY recordings we’ve done up to this point. Morale has dipped and surged along the way. A lot of glass has been shattered. The album’s almost finished, depending who you ask.

I heard that all three of you are classically trained musicians on instruments different from the ones you play in the Avulsions.

All three of us started out playing the piano. Only one of us failed miserably at it, so naturally they became the bass player. 😉

When are you playing next? Is there another tour on the horizon?

No immediate plans – the band’s current focus is on completing the album so we can tour it. We are hoping for April and will plan something in early spring.