Secondhand Dreamcar On the Making Of “Eight of Spades”
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
This was the first song that we co-wrote as a band. Our lead singer Dana had a chorus hook and a general thematic idea for the song, which was fleshed out in a writing session with our bass player Harry. Form-wise, the whole song was there in about an hour and a half. Then Dana wrote the lyrics and melody afterwards. This has become a tried, tested, and generally successful way of working for us.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for "Eight of Spades?"
On our whole album, we did a large amount of “tone questing” before recording each song. We would all go through and decide what instruments to play, and how to change our overall set up for each song, so we could get it down pretty well on how it would be on the finished product. On “Eight of Spades,” of particular note were the 3 unusual guitar tones that Kyle (one of our two guitarists) got happening for the song; a clean tone for his verse and bridge parts, a rotary guitar sound (recorded through a Cordovox rotary speaker) in the prechorus, and the searing and funky envelope filter sound in the choruses and the solo. Kyle was a little leery about cutting the solo live with the band, and then just played such a great one right out of the gate, and that solo is something we all love a lot on this recording.
What did you enjoy most about making "Eight of Spades?"
We recorded our entire album almost completely live off the floor. And that was the greatest joy overall; that we were all just there playing together. We're a live band primarily, and we wanted to capture that live spirit in our recording, as well as the great joy we take in playing together. And we feel we succeeded there.
How did your band members initially come together?
We became a band almost accidentally. In late 2021, our three core members – Dana (lead vox and keyboards), Harry (bass), and Jamie (drums) – were hired separately to make up the house band for a weekly pro-jam here in Edmonton. After six months or so of playing together weekly, and discovering that our musical tastes and priorities aligned perfectly, we had a realization: "Hey, I think we're a band!" We began writing our own material not long after that.
Are there any specific themes or messages that you aim to convey through your music?
The joy of living, which encompasses life's complexities and struggles, and also its mundanities.