A fine example of home-grown Saskatoon sound, Fisticuffs came into the world as the brainchild of musician Jordan Kurtz.

Initially a solo project that blossomed from Kurtz’s time spent writing and playing for bands such as We Were Lovers and Tuxedo Mask, Fisticuffs matured into a full-fledged band in 2011 and quickly became somewhat of a staple in the local musical community. But this proved to be only the beginning for Kurtz and his crew of talented bandmates — including Emily Kohlert, Nik Winnitowy, Logan Ginther, Shawn Toovey and Malcolm Whyte — who were hungry for more than just official band status. They were looking for their sound.

In late August of this year, Fisticuffs was dragged to the musical guillotine — only to be reborn with a fresh name and a fresh sound.

Rebranding themselves Dream Country, the band emerged with a new confidence and their first full length LP in the works.

“I think we’ve finally found what we were looking for all along,” Kurtz said in an email to the Sheaf. “We played our first show with the new name and setup the other night at Amigos. The feedback was overwhelming and I think people really enjoyed it. Someone said to me ‘Man, you finally found your sound.’ That was the best thing I could’ve heard.”

Scrapping their former identity has given the band a chance to start off on a different foot. This rebirth is evident in their newest track “Hope Slide,” which combines the dreamy pop and vintage country-rock sounds that Kurtz has aimed to embody since the band’s creation — hence the name Dream Country.

“I don’t know that anybody is ever excited when a band changes its name,” Kurtz said. “People always like how it was before, but you get used to it and hopefully come to see that it just makes more sense in the long run — especially considering the change in sound.”

Fans can expect the release of Dream Country’s first official yet-to-be-titled album in the spring.

“I’ve never been able to say it before, but [the album] really does sound just like I wanted it to in my head,” Kurtz said. “It’s the best feeling.”

Though Dream Country has made plans to tour for the better part of summer 2015, their deepest roots undoubtedly lay in Saskatoon soil.

“It feels like there’s a sense of pride in the Saskatoon music scene that hasn’t always been here. It was easy for a while to get negative about the state of the arts but that’s not the case anymore,” Kurtz said. “It definitely can be a supportive city, but I’ve learned you have to give people something worth supporting.”

Despite the group’s new and improved image, they retain many fond memories of their time spent as the late Fisticuffs.

“We played some great shows before we were good, which is how I jokingly refer to our pre-2012 days,” said Kurtz. “But most of my satisfaction comes from recording. It’s crazy to hear the sounds of your imagination played back to you… It’s a moment in time that nobody can take away.”

The band made their official debut as Dream Country in CFCR’s annual FM-Phasis Festival, a fundraising event that helps support local radio broadcasts and musicians.

Kohlert “and I have both been involved as CFCR hosts over the years so we’ve got a real appreciation for the value of community radio,” he said. “I owe a lot to CFCR. They really do care about the community. I was raised on the station… and a lot of the opportunities I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of have had something to do with it.”

FM-Phasis runs until Oct. 3, alternating between the venues Amigos and Vangelis. Kurtz will be chipping in on drums for Slow Down Molasses at their Sept. 26 show.

Making music is certainly more than a day job for Dream Country. For a band to invest themselves so strongly in discovering their musical niche that they scrap their identity completely and take it back to the drawing board shows an impressive level of dedication. This can only bode well for their trailblazing full-length album, which is sure to showcase the passion and time that the band put into breathing new life into their sound.

“It’s a process of constantly being humbled by the way things inexplicably come together,” Kurtz said. “I don’t want to oversell it, but it feels like 20 years of trying to live up to my potential have been lifted off my shoulders.”