MADISON TAYLOR

Rah Rah look like part of the prairie landscape but their sound begs to differ.

Upon hearing that a band is from Saskatchewan, people usually imagine something in the neighborhood of banjo strumming and wheat stalk chewing. While Rah Rah may be prairie born and raised, their sound is not at all of hillbilly simplicity.

If the eccentric flavours of the Regina band’s first two full-length releases Going Steady and Breaking Hearts were pleasing to your musical palate, then their newest tour-de-force The Poet’s Dead will not disappoint. The album, released Oct. 2, mixes upbeat and quirky tracks such as “The Poet’s Dead” with the sentimental, feel-good folk of “Prairie Girl”.

The true beauty of Rah Rah is in their lyrics. Buoyant beats are often paired ironically with heart-rending poetics such that listeners might find themselves relating to the song on an uncomfortably deep level.

Perhaps the reason the situations that singer Erin Passmore croons about in her hauntingly lovely voice are so striking is because they are derived from her own personal life experiences. Songwriting acts as “a kind of catharsis” for her in times of hardship and sorrow, Passmore said.

The content, comfortable sensation one experiences after listening to the album is not unlike the sensation of drinking a warm cup of tea. It is something I have come to associate with Rah Rah. This homey feeling can be attributed in part to the band’s Saskatchewan roots, which Passmore says are “the backbone of [their] writing.”

With layers of rich vocals and slamming guitar riffs, impassioned drum solos and eccentric violin, lively keyboard and an undertone of accordion, Rah Rah boasts a sound that is at once strikingly mature and bouncing with youthful enthusiasm.

“It grows up as we grow up,” Passmore said of their music.

Adding to Passmore’s lead, Marshall Burns and Kristina Hedlund chip in on songwriting and vocals.

The alternation between male and female voices in songs such as the track “Art & A Wife” gives their music an intimate, conversational feel that is incredibly endearing to the listener. At times it seems as though one is eavesdropping on a private exchange of thoughts rather than listening to a song.

This contributes to a sound that is charming and personal — a musical companion that can be referred to in good times or bad.

Rah Rah’s live show can be likened to “a children’s birthday party on stage,” laughs Passmore. The band is famous for distributing eccentric party favours to the crowd, including piñatas, pop rocks and confetti.

Though touring may not be “as glamorous as you’d think,” Passmore said, the band is making their way across Canada this year and revisiting towns and cities that they have “developed friendships in.”

And as it so happens, Rah Rah are dropping by Saskatoon in their travels. They will be rocking Amigo’s Cantina alongside Plants and Animals on Nov. 7.

Check out http://noisetrade.com/rahrah for a free download by donation.

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Photo: Chris Graham