Q&A: Afternoon Bike Ride Encapsulate Grief With Serenity in Honest New Album ‘Running With Scissors’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY FAITH LUEVANOS ☆
Photo By Akina Chan
HEAVY AND BEAUTIFULLY GUT-WRENCHING—Montreal-based trio Afternoon Bike Ride have returned with their latest album, Running With Scissors. The album’s origins come from lead singer Lia Kurihara’s experience as a caregiver to her father while he battled dementia and grapples with the feelings of watching a loved one slowly disappear, and the growth experienced in the process.
Across the 12-track album, Lia Kurihara, David Tanton, and Éloi Le Blanc-Ringuette unite their individual talents to bring Kurihara’s story to life, both lyrically and musically.
“The entire record has felt truly memorable and mesmerizing. We don’t think there’s a single song that hasn’t had its own special moment for at least one of us,” Kurihara shared.
The Luna Collective received the opportunity to chat with the band about the making of Running With Scissors, how the album has shaped the band’s evolution, their advice for fans processing grief, and more. Read the full interview below.
Photo By Akina Chan
LUNA: Let's start with the title of the project, Running With Scissors. What inspired this title, and how does it encompass the themes within the album?
ABR: It’s from one of the songs we ended up choosing for the album, "Running With Scissors." The song is about feeling out of control as a caretaker trying to slow dementia’s acceleration. It touches on the guilt of having to place a loved one in memory care. My (Lia) dad’s whole world and his health depended on me, and I really had to learn as I went along. There’s unfortunately no handbook for how to care for someone with dementia because each case is as different and unique as each individual person. Much of the content in our album revolves around finding one’s way while going through tragedy, which can feel very reckless at times since it’s a constant guessing game.
LUNA: The album opens with "20 Seasons," which feels like an introduction to the album. It sounds quite different from the rest of the album, so I wanted to know if that was an intentional choice?
ABR: The first draft of the album sequence had a different song in front. We sent the sequence to some folks for feedback, and one of the notes we got was to try “20 Seasons” first. The soft punch of that song, followed by the rolling, washy nature of “Otherworld,” feels like it will introduce folks to what we can do and express how playful yet heavy this record can be.
LUNA: You seamlessly blend genres to create a world of your own. How did you discover your sound, and how would you describe it?
ABR: The seamless nature of the blend is certainly because of Éloi, who, on top of building the soundscapes you hear flowing throughout the album, also mixes all of our music. We all come from very different musical backgrounds and provide a lot of shifting perspectives for where we think the music can go. We’re pulling on three strings of the same kite, watching it fly. (And Éloi makes sure it always sounds like gold.)
LUNA: When you think of this album and the significance it holds, what are some of the feelings that come with that?
ABR: Grief, ache, guilt, uncertainty, but also nostalgia, tenderness, growth, and most importantly eternal, abundant love.
LUNA: Throughout the process of the album, were there any songs that felt the most memorable to make?
ABR: The entire record has felt truly memorable and mesmerizing; we don’t think there’s a single song that hasn’t had its own special moment for at least one of us.
I (David) still remember getting the first draft of the duet between Éloi & Lia [for] “Beautiful & Treacherous.” I think I physically dropped to my knees in my room at the first smack of the synth and Lia’s voice tumbling over it. I felt so lucky to get to make music with two of the best and most talented people I know.
LUNA: Focusing on "Oh No!", can you share your story behind that track?
ABR: I (Lia) had to take the metro to get to my dad’s memory care home, so I was riding it a ton, and often that ride would be a moment for a lot of feelings to arise. I had this huge anxiety about running into an acquaintance while in a spell of emotions, so this song is a product of that. I have a hard time crying in front of others, so the thought of someone who doesn’t know me well, seeing me in that state, made me feel super uncomfortable.
LUNA: For fans who may be experiencing grief and resonate with the album, what piece of advice would you give them?
ABR: The advice I (Éloi) would give is to really let yourself feel things fully. Grieving comes in waves and never really leaves you. I read something about it being all the love you have left to give for that person overflowing. Don’t hesitate to talk and be vulnerable with your close circle.
LUNA: If you could paint a visual landscape for the album, what would that look like?
ABR: Overlooking a lake, stars reflecting in water, cinders burning in a pit. Muffled sounds of a party next door. Water evaporating off of skin.
Dogs running on the lawn.
Slow diving into cold, still water.
LUNA: How does this album progress the evolution of the band in your eyes?
ABR: I think with Running With Scissors, we wanted to push our limits, try not to be stuck with what we think our sound should be, let ourselves be free to experiment and have fun. We worked on it slowly over the course of two years, fully DIY. It feels like our most cohesive project to date. Who knows what the next one will sound like, but we’ll have fun making it.
