We Were Lovers

Artist Information

Biography

We Were Lovers' (WWL) dancey beats, swirling atmospheric guitars, and dynamic synths convey a wide array of moods and themes, as strong female vocals wrap stories of love and loss around catchy melodies. With comparisons such as “... Stevie Nicks-meets-The Cure pop" by The Austinist.com, Ash Lamothe and Elsa Gebremichael have mastered a pop balance infusing electro, dreamy, rock and disco elements. Known for their high energy live show, this duos undeniable connection radiates from the stage.

No stranger to the road, WWL has spent many months on tour across Canada and much of the U.S. including dates in NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles where they played at the legendary Viper Room. They’ve also opened for Tegan and Sara, Mother Mother, The Arkells, Land Of Talk, and the New York Dolls, as well as showcased at various festivals such as the WCMAs, Halifax Pop Explosion, NXNE in Toronto and SXSW in Austin, TX. After releasing their self-titled EP in Oct ’10, recorded in NYC with engineer / producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio, Beach House, Grizzly Bear, etc) and mastering engineer Joe Laporta (Vampire Weekend, The Raveonettes, The Walkmen, etc), the duo are primed to release their first full length album due out Summer 2012.

EP available now on iTUNES & CD BABY!

Praise for We Were Lovers
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"A little bit of 80s new wave with a little bit of New York grit, We Were Lover's new self-titled EP shines over five songs, capturing the attention of club kids and Brooklyn beat followers every where." - Amy Dittmeier, www.heavemedia.com, Chicago

"Sure to be Canada's sweetest export since Maple Syrup, We Were Lovers combines their solid pop sensibilities with an untamed rock and roll edge.. WWL create popular music with an original twist.." - CMJ Magazine, New York

"Hands down, Saskatoon duo We Were Lovers stole the show with their addictive brand of dance rock and rhythmic energy..." - richchung.com Vancouver Blog

“This is an instinctual reaction to We Were Lovers, you will find. Your body just refuses to sit still.” – Jason Stockfish, The Sheaf

Instrumentation

Ash Lamothe - Guitar / Bass / Synth
Elsa Gebremichael - Vocals / Synth

Discography

We Were Lovers EP released Oct / 2010

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Website

Audio

• We've Got It (Demo)
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• Partners In Crime
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• People Talk
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• Wild Fire
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• We've Got It (Ricky Rock Remix)
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Lyrics

• Wild Fire
• Partners In Crime

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• New Music From We Were Lovers [+ Show ]
  

  I blame Canada for my new musical obsession We Were Lovers. Ash Lamothe and Elsa Gebremichael have ...I blame Canada for my new musical obsession We Were Lovers. Ash Lamothe and Elsa Gebremichael have come stateside for SXSW and blown critics away with their sleek,tailored songs. A little bit of 80s new wave with a little bit of New York grit, We Were Lovers construct a very different dance song for your boogey needs. Elsa’s voice cascades over Ash’s synths and dial twists and both work to get your head nodding to the beat. Their work caught the attention of producer Chris Coady, whose previous work with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beach House, and TV on the Radio cemented his place in the current new wave scene. We Were Lover’s new self-titled EP shines over four songs, capturing the attention of club kids and Brooklyn beat followers every where. “People Talk,” one of the more mellow tracks off the EP, starts off like “Blue Monday” and morphs into a dreamy mix of Elsa’s throaty voice and Ash’s sharp guitar riffs. Take a listen to “People Talk” below or download the single here.

• We Were Lovers - Partners In Crime [+ Show ]
  

  Come on peeps, this is one of the most beautiful Songs you will hear this year. With “Partners in Cr...Come on peeps, this is one of the most beautiful Songs you will hear this year. With “Partners in Crime”, the Canadian Boy/Girl Duo We were Lovers produced a Song which is a catchy synth driven magic carpet ride.
  
  They show the process of the Songwriting on Youtube:) Great Idea!
  We were Lovers also played tons of Shows this year across the US with some fab Gigs in New York. You´ll hear loads more of them in 2011, I promise. But first, listen to the fantastic and final edit of “Partners in Crime” below.

• Dynamic Duo [+ Show ]
  

  Saskatoonelectro-pop outfit We Were Lovers (WWL) have gone through a lot of changes since their crea...Saskatoonelectro-pop outfit We Were Lovers (WWL) have gone through a lot of changes since their creation a few years back — the largest of which was dropping a whopping four members from the fold. The band began as a six-piece, but (to make a long story short) the lineup was eventually scaled down to its current incarnation, a duo consisting of Ashley Lamothe and Elsa Gebremichael.
  
  “Ultimately, it was the right thing to do,” says Gebremichael. “This transition has obviously been challenging as we've never done anything like it — programming beats and sequences and then playing with them live — but we're definitely very happy with this configuration. [We] love the fact that we now have the flexibility to either play shows as a duo, with a drummer or with a full band.”
  
  All the changes have lead to a new WWL self-titled EP that drops in October. Their sound is a stylized fusion of heart-on-sleeve pop and bouncy electronic and dance music, with some slightly darker undertones. Along the way you’ll hear throbbing beats, layers of creamy synths, some sparse indie-style guitar picking and Gebremichael’s voice — which is smoother than expensive chocolate. (There are also a couple of remixes on the EP by local spinners Quadrant Khan and Ricky Rock.)
  
  “When we think of We Were Lovers today versus a year ago,” says Gebremichael, “there's quite a difference [and] progression in our sound and that totally excites us. [One] thing that has been consistent is we've always been compared to bands of the ‘80s.”
  
  WWL had the amazing opportunity to record the tracks in New York with producer/engineer Chris Coady, who’s worked with stellar acts like TV on the Radio, The Grizzly Bear, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
  
  “We showed him a few of our home demos and chatted for only about 20 or 30 minutes,” says Gebremichael, “which was all it took for us to know we wanted to work with him. We spent a couple weeks with him, day-in and day-out. [We’re] very happy with how everything turned out.”
  
  You can pick up a copy of the EP and see how the band translates the songs to a live setting at their CD release show at Amigos (with Quadrant Khan and Some Are). The band promises a high energy live show that’ll wow the crowd, combining sequenced digital elements with live guitars and synths.
  
  “We strive to engage the audience as well as each other,” says Gebremichael, “and have been told we have an electric connectivity that radiates from the stage, which is great. We also feel we have a strong musical connection both on and off the stage, which is probably why we've overcome many obstacles throughout the existence of We Were Lovers.”
  

• And then there were two - We Were Lovers contracts from quintet to duo [+ Show ]
  

  Wanted: Independent musician. Must be able to book own tour, produce own music, promote own shows an...Wanted: Independent musician. Must be able to book own tour, produce own music, promote own shows and design/make own merchandise.
  
  In a world where music labels are nearly extinct and the Internet is a performer's most important tool, hard work is the only way to get ahead.
  
  Saskatoon's We Were Lovers has taken the Do-It-Yourself approach to a whole new level since forming in 2007, even going as far as hand-painting CDs for that added original flavour.
  
  But for its upcoming 2011 album, the band got a helping hand with one of its many jobs: Producing. The duo of Elsa Gebremichael and Ash Lamothe worked with Chris Coady -- the producer behind bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and Beach House -- on a trio of songs.
  
  Lead singer Gebremichael recently talked to the StarPhoenix about the band's trip to New York, new songs and downsizing to a duo.
  
  StarPhoenix: We Were Lovers recently became a duo, from a five-piece. How did you make that decision?
  
  Elsa Gebremichael: It wasn't really a decision, it just kind of happened that way. A couple of our members have their own singer-songwriter projects and they're busy on tour and doing their own thing. This for us is our main focus so that's the way it worked out and we're really cool with that.
  
  SP: It seems like musicians in Saskatoon are often part of multiple bands.
  
  EG: The music scene is definitely very incestuous.
  
  SP: So what does being a duo mean for your sound?
  
  EG: We are the main songwriters and we always have been so it won't really change too much. As for our live show we will be playing some of the shows as a duo, meaning we will use samples or loops or drum machines, but we also are going to be playing the majority of our shows with guest musicians for the full band sound.
  
  SP: You guys recently spent some time in New York to work on a few songs. What was that experience like?
  
  EG: It was amazing. We were in the studio the whole time, it was all about getting what we were there to do done, which was recording those three songs. We spent two weeks there and we were in the studio for probably 12 or 13 of those 14 days. We turned into night hawks because Chris Coady, the producer we worked with, would have us start at 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. We would literally wake up at 2 p.m. and be in the studio until about 4 a.m. They were long hours but it was definitely worth it.
  
  SP: So how did you come to work with Coady?
  
  EG: We were planning to go to New York and meet with a couple potential producers and engineers. We were doing some research to make the best out of our trip and we messaged him because he's worked with bands that we're fans of such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. We e-mailed him through MySpace actually and he sent us a reply saying 'Why not?' We met up with him at Jimi Hendrix's studio, Electric Lady Studios, and he took a break to meet us. We showed him a couple of our demo songs and chatted with him for 20 minutes. That was that. We left with an amazing feeling and were very inspired.
  
  SP: How much difference does working with a good producer make on the final product?
  
  EG: It definitely sounds amazing, we're really happy with it. This is our first time working with a producer. For us it was a nice step because we've never really worked with anyone separate from us and our bandmates. It was nice to have someone there who has an objective opinion or isn't directly attached to the songs. His input was helpful.
  
  SP: Tell me a little bit about the new songs.
  
  EG: The songs have more dance and electronic elements. For lyrical content I usually write about what's going on in my life. I've had a lot of changes in the last year and a half in my life and some intense moments. Obviously that comes through in the new songs.
  
  SP: That stuff is usually the best fodder for artistic expression.
  
  EG: Definitely. If your life isn't going through some major thing your musical creations are usually lacking. (laughs)
  
  SP: What are you plans for the new album?
  
  EG: We plan to finish the album in Saskatoon. Realistically it will be released next spring so we can take the time to do it right.
  
  SP: So right now you're booking a tour?
  
  EG: Yep. I'm booking a cross-Canada tour. It will be our third time going East and our first time actually going West. We're kind of booking it around NXNE and Sled Island in Calgary. It will be just about a month long going as far as Montreal and Victoria the other way.
  
  smckay@sp.canwest.com
  
  © Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

• The Polite Invasion: Canadian Bands at SXSW
  

  We Were Lovers: Sweet, Stevie Nicks-meets-The Cure pop.

• 'On The CD' [+ Show ]
  

  Sure to be Canada’s sweetest export since Maple Syrup, We Were Lovers combines their solid pop sensi...Sure to be Canada’s sweetest export since Maple Syrup, We Were Lovers combines their solid pop sensibilites with an un- tamed rock and roll edge. Singer Elsa Gebremichael’s effervescent vocals induce late-90s nostalgia for Letters To Cleo, and other strong female front women, while the guitarists Ash Lamothe and Jeshaiah Wiebe blend their unique musical back- grounds into an alluring swirl of guitars. The music remains inoffensively buoyant while tackling the inherent sadness of loves
  lost, as derived from the band’s name. Despite this historically lethal combination, We Were Lovers attack the subject matter to create popular music with an original twist. And with inspirations ranging from Karate to food to love and heartbreak, its no
  wonder they have avoided the legendary pitfalls, not to mention created captivating sound that truly is all their own.

Setlist

Islands
We've Got It
Hunger For You
The Hustle
People Talk
Dream Invader
Wild Fire
Partners In Crime
Bodies
The Pressure
French Connection
Rock With Me

Basic Requirements

Calendar