Waterfront Fire are one of the hardest working St. John’s bands right now, and they’ve crafted a unique sound within the scene as well. It’s a catchy sound, full of hooks and well-built song structures.  Enjoy the interview below with guitarist Andrew Boyd.

If I made you pick a favourite song off the album, which would you pick? Any reason why?

I think my favorite this week is the first track “Last Moonlight.” This track was the first song we wrote under the name Waterfront Fire, and in a lot of ways it represents the beginning of the band. I also feel that it captures our band’s sound with near completeness, which remained unrecognized when we wrote it. What I mean is we’ve written a lot of songs after “Last Moonlight” which we no longer play, in an attempt to find our band’s identity.  I suspect all new bands go through these growing pains trying to find their sound … the funny part is that we had already found what we were looking for without realizing it.

And if I let you pick another favourite?

I’d have to say “Lifeless Acts.” We released this song as our single and I feel it is one of our strongest songs technically.  It’s a song that doesn’t show its true colours until after the second chorus, so there is a peculiar sense of satisfaction that you will only experience if you stick it out to the end.

Is there a song on here that’s a little different for you, or that you questioned including?

Our singer Jordan Coaker has been writing songs for years as a solo artist and as a member of acoustic duo Quote the Raven. Track 5, “Drowning in the Wealth,” was Jordan’s first attempt at a Waterfront Fire song and we couldn’t be happier with the results. This song definitely adds to the diversity of our songwriting process as a band, but for us, it also represents the addition of a new family member.

Which one of these songs came out the hardest or was the longest in the crafting? Why

“Drowning in the Wealth” was definitely the hardest. This song was still very new when we started recording so it was a little stressful trying hammer out the final takes. Luckily our producer Georgie Newman is a very skilled and patient man. Without his expertise and support the song may not have made the final cut.

Share a random fact about one of your songs on this album, or the album itself.

The lyrics to “Whispers in the Woods” are loosely based on a popular television show about some people who were stranded on a mysterious island after their plane was “lost” at sea.

Name one influence on your approach to songwriting – whether it be a musician or a goal you have in crafting a song.

Dave Grohl.

What’s a new album you’ve been loving lately?

To be honest I’ve been mostly only listening to local albums lately. We just played London Above’s EP release show which was amazing! Their album Creatures is in regular rotation in my daily playlist and songs like “Hold Me Closer” and “Creatures” have a tendency to stick in your head for days. We are hoping to book some more shows with these guys in the near future.

Also been listening to Young Manics – Solidarity Songs a ton. They remind me of Matt Good if he was from Newfoundland, haha.

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Other than music, name something else you love. 

I love art in general. The visual arts are something I’ve always had a passion for. The process of trying to capture an idea and express that idea onto a physical medium is extremely challenging but it is also very fulfilling when you complete a project you’ve been working hard on. I’ve most recently developed a love for Graphic Design. I’m still learning the basics, but it is my experience that you have to be bad at something before you can be great at it.