The latest single released by Prince Albert’s The Wolfe represents a maturing musical style from the young trio of rockers
Pig and the Hound, released last week, is the second single off of the group’s forthcoming second EP.
The first song off of the EP was about growing up and coming of age, but could be construed as being about a relationship. There’s no construal here.
“Pig and the Hound is about moving on from a relationship and wishing them well, but they messed it up so you’re not going to be there to pick them up again,” said guitarist and vocalist Gabrielle Giroux.
“We’re growing up, we’re doing things in life now and experiencing more adult things.”
As with the first single released off of this EP, the Wolfe is pushing a heavier, alt-rock song. Last year the band rose to fame with a lighter song called Dumb Dog, which brought them to the final four of the CBC Searchlight competition. That song involves a ukulele and an acoustic guitar, the only time the group uses that accompaniment in their set.
“People who only know Dumb Dog come to our show and are like ‘wow, these girls are rock and roll,” Giroux said.
“They tend to be shocked,” added lead vocalist and bassist Siobhan Bayda.
But it’s that rock and roll sound the band is embracing.
“Our last two songs are both very different,” said Tessa Thompson, the third member of the trio and the group’s drummer.
“They’re very different but they frame what our sound is right now,” Giroux added.
Asked why they chose the song to be a single, the answer was straightforward.
“It’s our favourite,” Thompson said.
“It’s our favourite and we felt it was very popular when we went on tour,” Giroux said.
The music video for Pig and the Hound is simply shot. It depicts the band performing in an abandoned warehouse, with moody blue and purple lighting. Strobe effects are also used.
“It just clicked,” Bayda said.
“We had a cool idea for a music video. We felt it would be a really good fit for this music video, so we rolled with it. We rented a warehouse, set up cameras and played.
Though it was simple, the strobe lights messed with the band’s balance.
“Strobe lights … (are) really hard to play with. But it was cool,” Thompson said.
“It’s flippin’ weird.”
“When it’s 1 a.m. and all you’ve had is coffee and strobe lights for an hour,” Giroux said, “I almost fell.”
It’s the second straight music video for the band that provided a challenge for the band during filming. Their first single off this EP, Tip of My Tounge, was shot in a bowling alley. Giroux said she slipped a few times.
We asked the question: What’s harder, a strobe light or a bowling alley?
“Physically, the bowling alley was harder,” Giroux said. Mentally the strobe lights are harder.”
But the challenges have been worth it. The band has seen a surge in popularity in the past few months. That music video for Tip of My Tongue already has over 2,600 views and it was published about two months ago. The Pig and the Hound, as of press time, had been watched 831 times.
Their most watched videos from a year ago have 12,000 and 5,700 views respectively. The band also has over 500 monthly listeners on music streaming app Spotify.
