SUMMER CAMP FEATURED ARTIST – THE STRUMBELLAS
Ever since forming in 2008 and releasing their debut album, 2012’s My Father and the
Hunter, Two-time JUNO award-winning alternative group The Strumbellas have steadily
shared follow-ups containing every ounce of folk-tinged gusto, from 2013’s We Still Move on
Dance Floors to 2016’s Hope to 2019’s Rattlesnake. The band will soon round the corner
with a brand-new fifth studio album, Part Time Believer (out February 9), a collection that
signals The Strumbellas’ grand return and rebirth.
“We had a slow pandemic,” says David Ritter of the period between Rattlesnake and Part
Time Believer. Unable to tour, The Strumbellas put every last bit of energy into perfecting
Part Time Believer, spending days behind the scenes composing and writing songs. “There
was no real pressure,” adds Jon Hembrey. “We kind of went into it with the thought of, ‘Hey,
let’s just write what we write, and then sift through all that and find what we want.’ This was
the time when we had the most material to draw from. It was a deliberative, collaborative
process.”
Out of their sessions came nearly 50 tracks, which the band — now with Jimmy Chauveau
on board as lead vocalist — whittled down to 12. Shepherding the recording process along
was producer Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Kaiser Chiefs, Walk the Moon), with additional
tracks produced by Keith Varon (Machine Gun Kelly, Lindsey Stirling), Stevie Aiello (30
Seconds To Mars), and Dave Schiffman (RHCP, The Killers, Adele). Packed with poignant
lyrics surrounded by bombastic, folk-driven melodies, Part Time Believer continues The
Strumbellas’ long-standing tradition of mood-meshing. The anthemic opener “Hold Me” is
one of the rare Strumbellas love songs, though, in true fashion, it’s tinged with melancholy.
“It’s a lot about feeling sad,” Ritter expands. “It’s love and depression, love and dark times
and what it means to be loved and need love at your lowest, and what people can mean to
each other when they’re down.”
Even the title Part Time Believer (taken from the acoustic-led, slow-marching “Steal My
Soul”) marks a new venture in The Strumbellas’ penchant for big, brightly coloured melodies
overlaying cerebral verses. Weaving in a touch of religious imagery, the arena-filling “Steal
My Soul,” blends piano and electric-guitar accents, feather-light harmonies, swelling strings,
and a powerful, chanting chorus. “We all have demons and it’s up to us to hold on to
ourselves as we face them down,” says Ritter
Part Time Believer, meanwhile, is intended to capture The Strumbellas’ sonic discrepancies.
“I think of our sound as containing some contradictions,” Ritter says. “Sad lyrics, happy
music. Or a song is formulated in a dark bedroom somewhere, and it’s really depressing,
and it’s about struggling with mental health or a dark period you’re going through in your life.
But it goes from this bedroom to the rehearsal room, and we dance around and sing
together. There are contradictory elements that are part of our DNA. We’re serious about
certain things, but maybe only halfway.”
Elsewhere, the piano chiming “Holster” contemplates the idea of running in place and feeling
like you aren’t living up to your potential. “We all get caught in a holster, but it’s all in our
head,” the sextet declares in rising harmony. “‘We’re Canadians, we don’t like to talk about
guns,” Hembrey laughs. “But ‘Holster’ is not about using the gun or the gun fulfilling its
potential. It’s the place where the gun is resting or is waiting to be used. It’s this feeling of
having things that you want to do, things you want to figure out — you just can’t quite get
there.”
Finally, the piano-pop ballad “Running Out of Time” is a yearning meditation about time
passing, envisioning future goals, and coming to terms with the result. “It’s funny to feel
prematurely old at different ages,” Ritter says. “I think people often feel like things are
escaping them, or they’re trying to grab on to something — happiness, gratitude,
professional or personal goals — and for some reason, they just can’t get there. Even if they
get the thing they want, it doesn’t feel the way they thought it would. A lot of these songs are
about trying to figure out why we’re all feeling this way, and how we can find more peace in
our lives.”
As The Strumbellas headway into their next chapter, their shared vision and cohesiveness
as a band has never been stronger. “I sometimes look back on how long we’ve been
together and think it’s remarkable that we still like each other so much,” Ritter laughs. “The
band really is my other family… We remain best friends, and we still have so much fun
playing shows and making music together.”
Short Bio:
Ever since forming in 2008 and releasing their debut album, 2012’s My Father and the
Hunter, two-time JUNO award-winning alternative group The Strumbellas have steadily
released follow-ups containing every ounce of stomping, hand-clapping, alt-country gusto,
from 2013’s We Still Move on Dance Floors to 2016’s Hope to 2019’s Rattlesnake. They’ll
soon round the corner with a brand-new fifth studio album, Part Time Believer, a collection
that signals The Strumbellas’ grand return and rebirth.
Now with Jimmy Chauveau on board as lead vocalist, The Strumbellas spent the last four
years writing, recording, and whittling 50 songs down to 12. Honed by producers Ben Allen,
Keith Varon, Stevie Aiello, and Dave Schiffman,, Part Time Believer continues The
Strumbellas’ long-standing tradition of blending anthemic, brightly coloured compositions
with yearning, contemplative lyrics.
“I think people often feel like things are escaping them, or they’re trying to grab on to
something — happiness, gratitude, professional or personal goals — and for some reason,
they just can’t get there,” says David Ritter, who handles piano, organ, percussion, and
vocals. “Even if they get the thing they want, it doesn’t feel the way they thought it would. A
lot of these songs are about trying to, like, figure out why we’re all feeling this way, and how
we can find more peace in our lives.”
CONNECT WITH THE STRUMBELLAS:
Website: www.thestrumbellas.ca
