The Anti-Queens – Disenchanted

By starrymag | June 7, 2024

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

Q) Who were some musical artists that influenced you when you were growing up?

 

Emily: Musically, my influences were all over the place! Some bands I really loved were Hole, No Doubt and The Distillers. I also have a soft spot for pop music, so P!nk was also on regular rotation.

 

Q) For close to a decade, The Anti-Queens have been tearing up Canada’s music venues, and now, American music streamers. Looking back at your start, how has the band’s approach to creating music and touring evolved? What have you learned about yourselves as artists over the years?

 

Emily: Our approach to creating music hasn’t changed all that much over the recent years, but touring is definitely a lot easier now with the help of grant funding in Canada! We’ve learned a huge amount over the years – it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where to start. I believe we’ve grown not just as musicians, but also in our understanding of the music industry. We’ve learned how to advocate for ourselves and continue to assert our value as both women and musicians.

 

Q) Speaking of births, punk music was born in the underground scene of New York and London in the late ‘70s, and as quickly as it kicked down radio’s door, disco-pop ushered it into obscurity. Two decades later, it had a mainstream rebirth but could never recapture that filthy gutter-life feel that bands like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, or X-Ray Spex introduced us to. It seems like now Canada has heard that call for more gritty punk– especially in your hometown of Toronto with bands like The Anti-Queens, Cancer Bats, Dilly Dally, and The Planet Smashers. That city is picking up where those original legends left off. So, what is it about Toronto and its music fans that helped to make it the new punk capital?

 

Emily: If there’s one thing that I’m proud about the city I grew up in, it’s the music scene. Although we’ve experienced quite a lot of gentrifications and the closure of many venues during and after the COVID lockdowns, the music community remains a defining feature of the city. I always make fun of Toronto for being a wannabe NYC but at least we spawn a lot of really awesome bands. It has to be the diversity and acceptance of different cultures that really stand out in Toronto. It’s a melting pot that brings so much vibrancy to the city.

 

Q) Congrats on your second LP, Disenchanted. The new single “Doomed Again” is out now and on endless repeat on my playlist. What’s this song about and what was the inspiration behind the lyrics?

 

Emily: When Valerie first sent over the demo with that opening riff, it immediately brought back this early 2000s pop punk vibe, that feel-good era when being in a band with your friends was the ultimate thing. The working title she had, “Doomed Again,” stuck with me and I was inspired to write about the life of being in a band. It’s about how things can go wrong almost every day, and we’ve definitely been in some pretty crappy situations but despite all that, we keep going because we love it and can’t imagine doing anything else with our lives.

 

Q) What has the fan reaction been like to the single? 

 

Emily: The reaction has been awesome!! We’ve actually received a few pieces of fan art inspired by our homemade yellow and pink ghost costumes from the music video.

 

Q) I loved the video for “Doomed Again,” but I have to know, what was the story behind those outfits? They were like glam-rock ghosts stuck living in a mundane life.

 

Emily: That’s exactly it! The idea came from a super adorable photoshoot I saw online with two pink satin ghosts having a tea party. There are a few lines in the song about death, like “everyone dies,” so I thought why not explore a day in the (after)life of a colorful ghost? Everything goes wrong from the moment she wakes up until she gets to band practice with the other ghosts. We chose pink and yellow for our ghost costumes because those are the color themes of our album!

 

Q) Album covers are a bit like book jackets–the art sets the mood for the adventure you’re embarking on. The artwork for this album–that upside-down skeleton horse, reminded me of the uncomfortable feeling I had when I first saw Jean Michel Basquiat’s painting, “Riding with Death.” Who did the artwork for Disenchanted, and what, if anything, is it trying to say about this collection of songs?

 

Emily: Wow, I love that comparison! I hadn’t actually seen that painting before, but it really does capture the same vibe. The concept was a collaboration between me, Valerie and our former drummer, Dallas Conte. We aimed to depict a fairytale that’s taken a darker turn, reflecting the theme of becoming ‘disenchanted’ with the state of the world, toxic relationships and challenges in mental health. We wanted something morbid yet pretty, which is why we chose vibrant colors and a mythical creature like the unicorn to represent both the beauty and the darkness intertwined.

 

Q) Let’s talk about your writing process, The Anti-Queens are a quartet with Emily Bones on vocals, Valerie Knox strumming the guitar, Michael Amaral slapping the bass, and Zoe McMillan smashing those drums. When it comes to writing songs, which comes first–the lyrics or the hook, or are these songs born out of band collaboration in the studio?

 

Emily: For Disenchanted, it really was a mix of both. I had some pre-written songs or the skeletons of tracks I’d put together, while Valerie was sending me fresh ideas with various riffs and chords. Like with “Doomed Again,” she sent a few with placeholder titles that ended up sticking. I find this method helpful because it gives me a starting point which can make the writing process easier. In terms of my personal approach, I tend to write melodies and lyrics simultaneously. It’s often driven by a particular emotion or moment that inspires me to pick up a guitar and start singing. And I’m always jotting down ideas for lyrics, keeping them on hand for future songs.

 

Q) Obviously, “Doomed Again” is a hit, but what other tracks from this new album have fans on their feet and smashing into each other?

 

Emily: As of today, we’ve only released one other single, “Crusade!” But I think the first track on the album, “Apocalypse She,” featuring Brenna Red from The Last Gang, is really going to get people pumped, because I get pumped when I hear it! [laughs]

 

Q) Punk is like shorthand protest against the normos: its message is short, not-so-sweet, and never cares about who does or doesn’t like it. What are you hoping fans take away from exploring Disenchanted as a whole?

 

Emily: I’m hoping that listeners will take away a journey through various ups and downs, exploring both heavy and light-hearted subjects. I really want the album to keep them guessing from one song to the next, as we’ve stepped out of our comfort zone. We’ve tackled darker material but also mixed in some feel-good and bratty pop punk moments.

 

Q) The constant tour life is something this band not only knows well but seems to excel at. Your fans will be the first to say your live show is must-see. You’re currently on the road again and opening for Bowl of Soup. What do you love about performing live? 

 

Emily: I just love to play and sing! Being on stage, whether it’s in front of five people or a thousand, always gives me an adrenaline rush and it’s consistently fun, no matter the circumstances—even when the sound is off or I’ve lost my voice. There’s something incredibly rewarding about performing music you’ve written with your friends.

 

Q) You’ve played clubs, tattoo parlors, and everything in between. Do you have a favorite city or venue you look forward to playing in?

 

Emily: We’ve been to so many great venues and cool cities that it’s so hard to pick. I feel like Berlin will always have my heart though. We’ve played at SO36 and Wild at Heart in Berlin and those were both easily two of my favorite shows ever.

 

Q) What would you like to say to the fans and supporters of the music you make?

 

Emily: It still blows my mind that people actually listen to music that I’ve had a part in making. From the bottom of my heart, it means so much to have such awesome fans and supporters who believe in us.