Saskatoon pop punk band are seemingly about to blow up
High Hopes, a Saskatoon pop punk four-piece, are releasing a five-song EP entitled Bigger Than at their album release show at Louis on Saturday, Jan. 5. The show kicks off a tour of western Canada.
Despite having been together for a short amount of time – “We’ve been a band for about a year and three months, and a full band for about three of those months,” says front man Joel Cossette – High Hopes have made monumental leaps as an indie band, including a feature in Alternative Press magazine as one of their “Upcoming Bands to Watch For.”
But even more bizarre, the group has gained over 13,000 fans in the past eight months. In context, most prominent Saskatchewan bands that tour all over the place typically top out around 5,000.
Crazy.
So how did that happen?
“As much as I’d love to say it’s 100% because of our hard work, I think our dedicated fans are the biggest factor in helping our music grow as much as it has,” says Cossette. “That Alternative Press feature was thanks to our fans spamming their inbox. The same thing happened with the popular music blogger Bryan Stars leading him to give us a shout out which gave us a huge boost in fans from the US. It kind of keeps naturally growing in that sense. Best. Fans. Ever.”
Having started as an acoustic side project, High Hopes have a far more realized sound as a full band. The Bigger Than EP is the kind of music you would crank on a gorgeous summer day while driving to the beach in a Honda Civic even though you already dipped into a sixer of Palm Bays. The guitars are punchy, the melodies are tight, and Cossette’s vocals, which resonate with a bright-sounding energy, are reminiscent of the power-punk/emo bands on Drive-Thru Records – think New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional.
I was, and still am the biggest Bukowski fan in existence and he influences a lot of my lyrical style. I feel so hipster saying that
However, the songwriting and lyrics have been a huge focus for the band, says Cossette.
“Most of the songs on the EP had been in the works for the past year,” he says. “I’d say each of them saved me from a really down point in my life. ‘Star Wars and Poetry’ for example, was written in a time when I had a struggling relationship with my parents over the whole ‘I’m going to be broke and play music’ thing. I think each song represents a different point in a time line that spans over the last year. The general theme of each would be a lost 21-year-old kid trying to figure out the person he wants to turn into. Also, I was, and still am the biggest Bukowski fan in existence and he influences a lot of my lyrical style.
“I feel so hipster saying that.”
In addition to their EP release show at Louis, High Hopes have a tour of western Canada in January and eastern Canada in May.
“We also plan on watching the new Star Wars movies Disney is working on and writing a whole album based on the depression that it creates,” says Cossette.
“That last part is a joke. I hope.”
January 5 – Saskatoon – Louis Pub
January 6 – Calgary – New Black
January 7 – Edmonton – The Studio
january 9 – Prince George – The Thirsty Moose Pub
January 10 – Prince George – Knox
January 11 – Vancouver – Olympia Pizza
January 12 – Victoria – Big Fernwood
January 16 – Penticton – Elite Restaurant
January 17 – Kelowna – Knights Of Columbus Hall
January 18 – Red Deer – Slumland Theater
January 19 – Regina – The Club