By Janice Tran
Wolves are pretty popular these days. Or at least bands with wolf names are. With rising success for wolf named bands such as Wolf Parade, Wolf Eyes, The Wolfnote and many others, it’s not hard to imagine the members of We Are Wolves might be getting tired of the comparisons to their wolf-like counterparts.
“We’ve had some moments with that but we decided to stick with [the name],” explains We Are Wolves’ keyboardist, Vincent Levesque. “The good thing with the wolf name is that so far every single wolf band I have heard is a good one.”
Although the imagery conjured up by the name We Are Wolves can be a bit scary, the group’s music is not so intimidating. Incorporating everything from synthesized sound effects to bursts of yelping, the Montreal three-piece is very open to applying new ideas into their music.
“We are art students so a lot of ideas come from what we do in art,” says Levesque. “There is the matter of art, of vision and perceptions. The imagery that we deal with feeds the songwriting.”
The band’s experimenting has resulted in the creation of a distinct breed of infectious synth-rock hipsters across North America and the U.K. have been dancing to.
“The music is about getting the urge to party and dance and meet with people,” describes Levesque. “I feel that a lot of people in different scenes all over the place just want to have fun and I hope [our music] gives an occasion for that.”
Even though the band can speak English, they choose to speak mostly French during their performances. However, no one should feel threatened by this verbal barrier.
“We’re not being pretentious, we’re just being who we are and encouraging people to do so,” explains Levesque. “French is really an honest thing for us. It is not meant to impose our culture on other people, it is just meant for us to be energetic in front of the crowd. I hope people can feel that.”
While many in Quebec feel isolated from the rest of the country, We Are Wolves share a completely opposite feeling.
“I feel pretty much related to the independent underground scene all over the world,” Levesque says. “Having fun for me is in itself a political statement. We all share the same interests so in that way, it isn’t just culturally directed.”
As for the shared interest in wolf names with other bands, Levesque isn’t afraid to be lumped together with his lupine compatriots.
“I’m glad to be part of the gang,” he says.