Group’s second LP made to get hearts racing

While a live performance is a moment in time that comes and goes, a record is something that, ostensibly, lives on.

Both are important, often complementary methods of artistic expression for any band of musicians, not the least independent local artists carving out names for themselves in the dark heart of the continent.

Claire Thérèse & the Lockdown are celebrating the vinyl release of Racing Heart, its second full-length LP, with a gig tonight at Public Domain. The group’s last full-length record, Villainy!, was released in 2022.

“For me, this seems like perfect timing,” says Thérèse, primary vocalist and songwriter in the group. “This album has been done for almost two years now. I don’t even know if I would call it procrastination, (but) there are just those steps that one needs to take to actually release something into the world, and that’s how long it has taken me.”

Lyrically, Racing Heart’s 10 songs explore themes of isolation and connection, resistance and community.

“There are a lot of songs about the way we connect with one another. I think the power and the resistance that we create when we come together in community. There are lots of songs on it that feel kind of like a lullaby, that kind of antidote to separation and othering,” Thérèse says.

Recorded at Collector Studio by Will Grierson and Art Antony, Racing Heart builds off what the talented group put to tape on Villainy! Inspired by groups such as Hurray for the Riff Raff and Waxahatchee, who seemlessly weave together elements of folk, country and punk rock, Thérèse is pleased with the results on the new record.

“It’s a bit of a different sound than the first album, but I think The Lockdown bring a certain element to the songs that I write that still very much live in the band world. I don’t think it’s a wild departure,” Thérèse says.

While the group traces its roots back at least 15 years, and has included a number of musicians over that run, the band in its current form — which also includes Jaime Carrasco on drums, Max Harrison on trombone, Vince Andrushko on guitar, Darwin Baker on bass and Sarah Constable on harmony vocals — has been performing together now for years.

“They’re a group of people who have built my confidence. Having this group of people who have your back, who are there for it, makes the live show super special,” Thérèse says.

Tonight’s album release brings together an eclectic bill stacked with local acts who, while certainly disparate at first pass, have an underlying esthetic and sense of community that is sure to make for an engaging and entertaining evening.

“Something I like about all these bands is there is a very performative aspect to them, which is really fun,” Therese says. “I love that it’s such a diverse show in terms of genre. I think sometimes we don’t actually know what we need in the moment. I love being at a show and being surprised by how much I like what I’m hearing.”

Joining Claire Thérèse and the Lockdown are synth-punk rockers Nothin’!!!, celebrating the release of their self-titled debut cassette, and garage rockers Discount Coffin.

“We’re quite different in style, but I think the punk ethos is there on all sides,” says Adam Manveiler, who plays bass in Nothin’!!!. “Let’s all celebrate the work that goes into writing and recording. It’ll be a good get together.”

Nothin’!!! also includes Toby Coninec on guitar, Andrew Campbell on drums, and Maria Bromilaw on lead vocals and synth. The group came together four years ago — though Manveiler and Coninec have been jamming together in various iterations for over 20 years — before playing its first show last September.

“It was just sort of let’s get together and it’s been a really great creative social outlet for us. The lyrical content can be pretty heavy, but the live show, it’s a party. We’re loud and fast and fun,” Manveiler says

Over the winter, Nothin’!!! recorded six songs with Shane Barron in his basement studio. When it came time to put it out, the band decided cassette made the most sense.

“We all agreed that tape was the most affordable and the coolest, for where we’re at,” Manveiler says, adding that the group received support from local label Transistor 66 and grindcore distributor Scum Lord. “They were gracious enough to kick in a little cash to put it out.”

An interdisciplinary artist who also works in theatre and the visual arts, Thérèse is also planning an interdisciplinary, multimedia release for when Racing Heart will be made available to streamers later this year. The show will incorporate live performances, contemporary dance and video.

“Interdisciplinary suggests that its enmeshed, that each discipline informs the other, rather than just having other disciplines,” Thérèse says. “It’s why we do things live, right? To come together in this thing that is going to happen once and then never again. I mean, we’ll play again, but that moment will come and go. Now that there’s actually recordings of songs, I take a lot of comfort in being able to look out and see people sing along where I feel like I’ve made it. That I did it.”

sheldon.birnie@winnipegfreepress.com