By Justin Penney
Photo: Ryan Walter Wagner
VANCOUVER — “I’m not sure whether to call it a band or a project,” Andrew Candela says as we approach his East Vancouver practice space. “There are so many different people who have been in Candela Farm. I’m the only consistent member.” He loads some gear into his car, carefully fitting a guitar case and an amp next to the child seat in the back.
“Yeah, becoming a dad definitely changed my priorities. I don’t go out as much, don’t play as many shows as I used to.” Candela previously played in Plus Perfect, and before that, Paper Lanterns. Each of those bands lasted about five years before splitting up. “I think five to seven years is the perfect amount of time for a band to exist. After that you tend to start looking for new things.”
The newest thing is DADF#AD, Candela Farm’s new cassette EP. The cover is nearly identical to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, an homage that was totally unintentional at first, but that Candela quickly embraced. “I knew I wanted bold, block letters on the top and bottom and an obscure photo in the middle. Once I saw it I was like, ‘Oh, that’s Nebraska!’” Candela recalls with a chuckle.
Unlike its doppelgänger, DADF#AD is a dense, catchy collection of songs. Song titles like “Sound of Decay” and “Living in the End Times” are representative of the bleak, dystopian lyrical themes on the EP, but despite the dark imagery the whole thing sounds like a party. Saxophone features prominently throughout, locking in with the rhythm section for some undeniably festive grooves over which Candela sings triumphantly about the diminishing returns of modern life.
The title refers to the open guitar tuning used on all the songs, but it also refers directly to Candela becoming a father. “Candela Farm started right around the time my son was born, so the whole time I was writing these songs was a bit of a ‘dad fad’ for me.” The joke is corny, and we both know it, but Candela’s laugh is genuine. Both in-person and on record, Andrew Candela doesn’t want anyone to take things too seriously.
DADF#AD is available now on limited edition cassette from Boat Dreams From The Hill.
Photo: Ryan Walter Wagner