artist Tough Lovers

Through the rickety door of a faded old barn the swelling bass and thundering drums of an aspiring indie rock band regularly disturb the silence of the night. Within this rustic rehearsal space, Tough Lovers, a Vancouver based quartet, continually fine-tune their unique sound. Surrounded by discarded hay bales deemed inedible even by livestock standards and competing with the screeches of circling barn owls, the vulnerable harmonies of lead vocalist Jamie Smail are oddly in tune with the desolate surroundings.

Formed in 2010 by Smail, Dane Stevens (Bass) and Graham Madden (Lead Guitar), the band rounded out its lineup when a night of boxed wine, ‘Project Runway’ and general loneliness led, as it often does, to the Craigslist personals. Ultimately realizing they needed a drummer more than an STD, the band scribbled down a phone number and when their debut EP ‘Exits’ was released in February of 2011, Ryan Stephenson was firmly entrenched as the fourth ‘Lover.’

Invoking a sound that will leave you hopelessly liberated, as if soaring above civilization on the wings of an albatross, or happily confined, as if stuck in an elevator with a bottle of tequila, a Marvin Gaye record and a Kardashian sister not named Khloe, Tough Lovers will guide you on a lyrical spirit quest; songs conveying feelings of warmth and contentment complement those of emptiness and longing while fearlessly laying bare the emotions of a relentless group of young men driven for success in the unforgiving industry they love.

Optimistically approaching the release party for their sophomore EP entitled ‘Good Morning’, the band has been updating their Facebook page more often than their fans ask for autographs, and with upcoming Vancouver shows already booked, plus tour dates in Western Canada planned, the number of people who click ‘attending’ is set to skyrocket. But, until they come to your town, their new EP will have to suffice – and if when listening to ‘Good Morning’ you think that maybe, just maybe, you heard the screeching of a barn owl, you’ll know why.