The Bravery Reach For The Sun And The Moon

The Bravery may have moved away from the synthesizer sound of their 2005 self-titled debut, but they kept true to their origins on the new The Sun And The Moon by taking their time in the studio and heading back to their old stomping grounds in small clubs.

"We didn't want to rush it, and I think that's why sophomore records often aren't as good 'cause a band rushes it and they don't get perspective on it," says lead guitarist/vocalist Sam Endicott. "What we did is we worked on it for four months and then we put the album aside and went on tour for a month and we set up these small secret shows."

Endicott thought playing in dingy clubs with crappy sound systems such as the ones they called home during their early career would help the band decide which songs were ready to go and which ones needed to be changed. The result — a 12-track record filled with catchy hooks, solemn rock ballads and pensive songwriting — takes The Bravery away from their electro-rock beginnings.

"It was challenging, but it was what we really wanted to do," says Endicott. "When you write songs, there's a formula to making your sound.

"And we really wanted a break from that and not just sit back on that formula. We wanted new sounds, new textures, things that we hadn't messed around with on the first record."

Working with producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers) helped push the band into new territory. Not only did O'Brien's plethora of knowledge impress the New York City-based quintet, but his acute sense of decoding instruments in a song assisted them in cultivating their live acoustic sound on The Sun And The Moon.

"The first day we met we were playing records and I put on 'Satisfaction' by The Rolling Stones and I was like, 'Man I love this guitar sound,' explains Endicott. "And just off the top of his head he goes, 'OK, well that's this kind of amp and this kind of guitar and this kind of foot pedal, and I've got them all in my basement.'

"We wanted more of a live band sound on this record and he's really good at getting the best performances out of musicians — especially vocals. He really helped me a lot."

The album's first single, "Time Won't Let Me Go," reflects on fleeting youth and the passing of time, Endicott tries not to do too often.

"The worst thing in the world is regret, and the worst kind of regret is regretting something that you didn't do. Whenever things happen so fast, you don't appreciate it until it's gone already."

As Endicott puts the past behind him and tries to focus on the present, he's happy to forget about the curse of the sophomore slump and re-introduce a new and improved Bravery.

"The first record, I love it. In fact, I think in a lot of ways I like it even more now than I did at the time. But it's one side of us, whereas this record shows a lot of other sides."

The Bravery and Incubus will play Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre on Aug. 2.