Kees Dekker and Aimée van Drimmelen are The Backhomes from Victoria, BC who present their rock and roll silhouette show video for "You Gotta Move". Taken from their album Only Friend, the duo deal in that time tested troubadour trail that unites derelicts and drifters with songs of reconciled refuge and the search for new homes, in new 1 horse towns.
Pushing on down the Canadian trail and looking for a new abode sends out images of flying static like a sky of seagulls, drapes of color, and radar design ripples. Rhythm guitar strums it steady against a keyboard's sustained glow where minimalist tambourine percussion keeps pace like the walking steps of silver spurs jangling with every congress of boots meeting the dusty road. While making that miracle mile, the big move and transition becomes iminent amid the mood swinging bi-polarities from the chorus song of, "you gotta love and you gotta hate…"
The Backhomes take you down to the forks in the roads, where choices of direction must be made in order to make that change. With the duo displayed in front of the sun, the beaming rays of light shine all around as Dekker and Drimmelen stand stoic and steady, relying on riffs as their central compass. Testing the waters, walking the talk and looking for some truth; the rite of passage tells the demons to get behind them for a new kind of freedom, a new porch to hang your hat, and a new council to call home.
We caught up for a bit with The Backhomes, discussing their work with Thee Silver Mount Zion Orchestra's Dave Payant, Zac Decamp from There is still time brother…, Black Mountain's Josh Wells, to the latest acts from the Victoria scene, and more.
How did your creative partnership form in Victoria, BC?
Our musical partnership more so "solidified" in Victoria. We began creating music together in Montreal, refined the process in the prairies, and figured it out on Vancouver Island.
What's the indie scene like in Victoria, as of late?
We were surprised by the number of exciting bands in Victoria. Freak Heat Waves, Babysitter, and Cleopatra and the Nile are some of our faves. There are a few good venues, above and underground, in town and it seems like an ideal place for bands to figure shit out before hitting the road.
How do you feel your sound has become enriched from working with Dave, Zac and Josh? What ways has their contributions transformed or just informed, The Backhomes?
We were lucky to get to play and record with some amazing and talented musicians while The Backhomes was taking shape. The energy and intuition of these artists definitely inspired how we tackled the recording process for Only Friend. We hope to share some of this material in future releases.
Is there any kind of Jason Spacemen/homage in that rugged, drony sound you got going on "You Gotta Move"? What kinda of life events and tunes inspired this song and the visualization?
Not so much an homage, but J Pierce and Pete Kember have been a great source of inspiration over the years. We've always preferred simple songs that aren't so much about the musical mastery, but are more about sounds, emotions, and spaces. This song is us doing what comes naturally, letting it flow and giving ourselves a pep talk! Basically, if you don't do anything nothing happens.
Having recorded Only Friend in the living room, what tricks borrowed from experience at Montreal’s Treatment Room Studios has contributed to the album's sound? What should we be expecting, and looking out for?
Owning a studio and recording bands for a decade taught me so much. Having somewhere to experiment and learn how make records was invaluable. The big difference these days, is that we can focus on getting the sounds we have in our heads out there. Having figured out so much completing Only Friend and finishing our first North American tour we are super inspired to start in on our next recordings. I think there will definitely be more slide guitar and synth on the new stuff!
The Backhomes' album Only Friend is available now from Bandcamp.
