Sunset Rubdown's Screwy Pop Hits The Road

The press release that publicizes Sunset Rubdown's upcoming disc, Dragonslayer, describes the Montreal band's music as "screwy pop rock," "a skewed approach to pop," and "crazy." For most groups, those would count as insults. For the band birthed by Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug, that sort of language is a plug.

"We're definitely pop music," says keyboardist/percussionist/vocalist Camilla Wynne Ingr, "but I don't think we're a traditional brand of pop music. So, any kind of weird adjectives you want to put in front of it will be fairly apt."

Much of the attention lavished on Sunset Rubdown is focused on Krug, but the recently expanded to five-piece — bassist/drummer Mark Nicol was added to the lineup that includes singer/guitarist/keyboardist Krug, Ingr, drummer/guitarist/keyboardist Jordan Robson-Cramer and guitarist/bassist Michael Doerksen — have been operating as a full band for three albums.

It can still at least be said that Krug's brain is the catalyst.

"I'd say we've worked about the same way for all of the albums," says Ingr. "Spencer brings in the bones — a chord pattern and lyrics — and everyone builds their own thing around it. There are various negotiations. Sometimes the songs really diverge from what he originally intended."

Compromise is definitely an activity to which the members of Sunset Rubdown have become accustomed. It becomes especially important when they hit the road.

"I think we get along better than we used to," Ingr says. "It's always kind of hard being in a van every day with seven people. It mainly adds up to just figuring out what everyone's idiosyncrasies are and trying to ignore them."

Sunset Rubdown are starting their summer with a North American tour and plan to hit Europe and Japan in the fall. Here's where you can catch them in the coming weeks:

June 15 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 16 Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 18 Baton Rouge, LA @ Chesea's Cafe w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 19 Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock at House Of Blues w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 20 Austin, TX @ Mohawk w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 22 Tucson, AZ @ Plush w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 23 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 24 San Francisco, CA @ The Rickshaw Stop w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 26 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 27 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 28 Victoria, BC @ Sugar Nightclub w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 30 Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
July 2 Calgary, AB @ The Marquee Room w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
June 3 Edmonton, AB @ The Pawn Shop w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
July 4 Saskatoon, SK @ Louis' Pub
July 5 Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre w/Elin Saddle and Witchies
July 6 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry w/Elfin Saddle and Witchie
July 7 Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
July 8 Bloomington, IN @ Jake's Nightclub w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
July 10 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace w/Elfin Saddle and Witchies
July 11 Montreal, QC @ Il Motore w/Elfin Saddle