Band sees growing pains on new album

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Two Hours Traffic with The Jezebels
Republik
Thursday, October 28 - Thursday, October 28

More in: Rock / Pop

Two Hours Traffic is heading into new territory. In Canada, Prince Edward Island’s greatest indie-pop export is three full-length albums into a stunning discography. However, September saw the foursome make its U.S. debut with its latest album, Territory, almost a year after its domestic release. Complete with bonus tracks from the band’s 2008 Polaris-nominated album Little Jabs, Territory — the first album Two Hours Traffic has had to support south of the border — is impressing critics and getting airplay on college radio. It’s no surprise, then, that the band has picked up some U.S. dates on the last leg of its current Canadian tour.

“If you make it in the U.S., that will trickle into almost every other country that listens to pop music. It’s the biggest thing to tackle,” says Liam Corcoran, the band’s guitarist-vocalist. If you are going to be in the business, you have to at least try to make it in the States. That is the mountain you have to climb.”

While that’s true, it’s not a terribly sexy conversation to have with someone who’s in a band known for good-time anthems and smile-inducing love songs. But it’s in line with the maturity that Two Hours Traffic has shown on its latest release. Territory still has some pop-rock gems — one listen to “Noisemaker” or “Painted Halo” confirms that — but those endorphin-releasing tracks are tempered with slower numbers, songs that are slightly more introverted and moments of well-earned thoughtfulness. Two Hours Traffic is growing up and, as is often the case with well-loved bands that want to evolve, there was a bit of backlash.

“We kind of anticipated that, because the hooks and the lyrics didn’t necessarily slap you in the face as much as some of the songs on Little Jabs,” says Corcoran. “They kind of grow on you a little more. When the record came out, there was, for some people, a lukewarm response, but in talking to those people later on they seem to like the record as it had time to settle in.”

The resistance isn’t a total surprise; it’s a departure from its sound, sure, but it’s also a coming of age. The band’s other guitarist, Alec O’Hanley (also of The Danks), plays piano on several tracks — it’s something that gives the group a sense of refinement, along with Corcoran’s heavy reliance on his acoustic guitar. And as the band grows in confidence, it’s developed a less layered approach; here, tracks like “Wicked Side” and “Weightless One” are stripped back to their most essential elements, leaving Corcoran’s voice to carry the songs in a way it never has before.

“I think you have to call it more mature, because Little Jabs is a very wide-eyed record. We weren’t conscious of it, but a lot of those songs are from a naïve, late-teenage point of view,” says Corcoran. “We wanted to have a bit of a different voice on the Territory songs, which are more about adult issues and problems. I know some people would rather hear the teenage songs forever. But you have to keep yourself interested, too.”

If this is starting to worry longtime fans, they can relax — Corcoran assures the group is still looking to change things up. Road testing the songs from Territory has forced Corcoran to play his electric guitar more, which has given the band a louder sound. Once Two Hours Traffic gets a break from its upcoming tours (which includes Australia, as well), the band will settle in to write some new material in that vein. In the meantime, the more mature sounding Territory acts as the band’s calling card and, backlash or not, Corcoran stands behind it.

“The album was recorded rather quickly, but the songs have held up and grown a bit on the road,” he says. “I haven’t listened to it in a while, but I do like the way it sounds and I’m really proud of it.”