Track-by-Track: We Found A Lovebird Sing About ‘With Friends Like These’

As much as the music scene constantly changes, it’s important that we have bands like We Found a Lovebird to lean on. You know, those acts that stay focused on the fundamentals and primarily direct their attention at just making the best music that they can. The band just released their latest record, With Friends Like These, on Valentine’s Day. Not driven by any particular scene or sound, the band’s goal is to just create a positive and joyful mood in the listener. Lead singer and guitarist Larry Lechner approached the writing process with a very open mind. He reflected on the fact that songs have a way of reminding people of important moments in their lives. The goal of the record is to inspire those positive vibes and emotions in you with dreamy, catchy pop sensibilities.

As a previous nominee for the Polaris Music Prize, We Found a Lovebird comes with plenty of respect and credibility. The themes of With Friends Like These revolve around the lasting connections we make and the links they have to landmark moments. The recording approach was to create an organic, live sound without relying too much on the studio. Part of what is beloved about classic rock is its imperfections and spontaneity. Lechner and company wanted to create songs that felt authentic and unpolished, with melody identified as being the most important. There’s a lot of raw emotion on the album, which their easygoing recording approach helped enable.

Today we are joined by Lechner for an exclusive Track-by-Track rundown of With Friends Like These. He shares with us the story behind these songs and what makes them special.

“The songs we listen to can become some of our closest friends. We rely on them to transport us somewhere or jolt us awake. Either way, that’s what we expect from our friends, isn’t it?”

1. “Details”

“A grouchy plea to be spared the details because really we’re all the same and ‘making the same music.’ So shut up and play your guitar, even though ‘no one’s listening anyway,’ Ok, it’s also a bit cynical. It came from channeling that one friend we all have who gives way more detail than anyone wants. I guess the other thing I was thinking about is our little indie music scene and how people can sometimes be so precious about their songs and struggles when really we’re all kind of doing and saying the same sort of things. It’s got a kind of weird angular chord progression that I’m very surprised works at all. The guitar solo is completely off-the-cuff and in the wrong key, but it seems to suit the song’s cranky energy.”

2. “Signal Hill”

“Takes us deep into a Canadian spy-vs-spy scenario in which you (the listener) are complicit and ultimately found out because of your taste in footwear. ‘Signal Hill’ grew out of a trip I took a couple of years ago to Montreal and St. John’s, Newfoundland. For some weird reason I fixated on the Fila shoes a stranger was wearing in Montreal and concocted a spy versus spy scenario that climaxed at Signal Hill in St. John’s when someone recognized the shoes. A typical spy movie narrative, ha!”

We Found a Lovebird ‘With Friends Like These’ album artwork

3. “Forget, I Can’t Forget”

“Often, you don’t quite know what a song is about until it’s finished, and this one seems to be about someone reminding themselves that what feels like a bad idea just might be the right thing to do after all.”

“From Martin Noakes at Great Dark Wonder: ‘Vintage guitar cues and rapid taps on the snare captivate my senses immediately – and upon hearing vocalist Larry Lechner deliver his opening lines, my memory kicks into overdrive – recalling thoughts of ‘To Live Alone in That Long Summer’ – a single from fellow Canadian act Barzin – so similar are their sounds. The band share that they’ve been compared to both Lord Huron and The Kinks (hard to disagree), and I’ll add to a touch of Wilco in there too. Yet, as Lechner’s vocals intensify leading into the chorus, I’m left gasping by the Lennon-esque cries of ‘I Am The Walrus” that resonate in my own headspace. This is a band worthy of much exploration.’”

4. “Blood and the Dirt”

“A tip of the hat to Vancouver punk survivors and the ethos that spawned the culture back in the day. Nihilism may not be the best long term strategy but the bonds formed are undeniable. The video for this one features me playing chess against myself. The other guys were supposed to be in it but it was Covid time and they were afraid!”

5. “Dylan Phase Again”

“I was thinking about my older brother and his obsessions and the gravitational pull of Bob Dylan’s kaleidoscopic world. I wanted a relentless cycle of chords that never modulated to give it a droney chimy kind of vibe.”

6. “Chet”

“In ‘Chet’ we are reminded that what appears from the outside to be detrimental may be experienced from the inside as a net positive. The lyrics are Chet Baker’s actual words very near the end of his heroin addicted life when asked ‘if he still looked back on it as a good time.’ Well of course he did!”

7. “Sent On a Boat”

“Mood shift for ‘Sent On a Boat’ which warns us that if we give up our power we only have ourselves to blame. Truth be told, the original lyrical idea for this came from Lohengrin, the 19th century opera by Richard Wagner. I was reading a review and a few lines popped out and I ran with it. When I first started working on it, I had been experimenting with a Joni Mitchell tuning. I got all excited because I thought I had discovered a completely new cycle of chords! When I transposed it back to standard tuning I discovered it was really just good ole C, F, and G! There’s a lesson in there somewhere.”

8. “It Ain’t Stickin”

“Just like snow, nothing sticks around forever and yet somehow love remains eternal. Apparently, Canada is one of the few countries where complete strangers seriously discuss the weather. I can believe it.”

9. “100%”

“Yes, ‘that age old feeling’ is everywhere and we’re all left in Leonard Cohen’s wake trying to understand it. But it sure feels good while it’s happening! I imagined Leonard Cohen waiting tables because he was so broke. But he was still writing his ‘dark fables’ and 100 percent certain about the sanity of love.”

10. “Since You Came Along”

“The narrator realizes how crazy his lonely survival strategies appear when he finally comes face-to-face with love. This is one of my favourites to sing because it flows so naturally and is such an uplifting song.”

11. “Carry”

“Asks the listener to pick up the keys and carry the torch because the narrator is tired of the responsibility. It’s possible to grow weary of always doing the right thing, isn’t it?”