Almost three years have passed since Mindil Beach Markets released its debut album. Now, the genre-bending band is back with its second full length — It Might Take Long — and it’s worth the wait.
The 11-track collection is a departure from the band’s self-titled debut, which was infused with funk, reggae and hip hop. At the core of It Might Take Long is a more focused take on rock ’n’ roll.
“We’ve redefined our sound a little,” says vocalist and keys player Rob Campbell. “We’re more of a rock band, but the record is still diverse. I’m hoping that doesn’t scare people off. I think it’s still really accessible. It’s still really poppy at the end of the day.”
It’s not only the band’s sound that has evolved, but their songwriting has, too.
“A lot of the songs on the first album are two or four chords with no bridges,” says Campbell. “We’re really excited; come a long way since the last one.”
In fact, they’ve done so much work in the song writing department, the band is ready to start recording its third album. “We have tons of new songs,” says Campbell.
The band, Cam Ainslie (drums), Campbell (vocals/keys), Patrick Codere (vocals/guitar), Daniel “DK” Kingsbury (vocals/guitar) and Matt Posnikoff (bass/guitar) recently relocated from Victoria back to the Sunshine Coast where the music started.
“Four out of five of us went to the same high school,” says Campbell. “We definitely miss Victoria . . . we moved back to the Sunshine Coast to prepare for our tour.”
The tour, kicking off here and taking them as far as Montreal, features more than 25 dates before the end of April, the majority of which are in nightclubs and bars — but others will be at high schools across the country in support of The Jellyfish Project (thejellyfishproject.org). (Victoria area: Cedar Hill Middle School, April 24; Bayside Middle School, April 25; Gordon Head Middle School, April 26; Glanford Middle School, April 30; Stelly’s Secondary, May 1; Spencer Middle School, May 6; and Arbutus Middle School, May 8)
The band founded the environmental initiative in 2011 to help spark conversation about ocean sustainability in high school-age youth.
“We play a few songs, then present a slideshow that talks about over fishing, plastics in the ocean and sustainable seafood,” says Campbell. The project has received support from climate change celebrities David Suzuki and Al Gore.
“Kids are our future,” says Campbell. “In a few years, they’ll be able to vote and have the power to influence older generations as well.”
The band also recently released a music video for “Smoking Gun” shot in their former home and jam space on Cedar Hill X Road by Dave Wallace at Innovate Imageworks.
“It was rat infested,” says Campbell. “It had leaks. We already planned on moving out, but we needed a space to shoot the video.”
Members of The Deep Sea Gypsies, who are also releasing an album at the event March 1, are now living in the home. M
mindilbeachmarkets.com
Mindil Beach Markets
CD Release
With Deep Sea Gypsies
Fri., March 1, 8pm
Sugar Nightclub
$15 at Lyle’s Place, Ditch Records and ticketweb.ca