Chemical City (Redux)

Second Pressing

Chemical City was released 15 years ago, almost to the day, but in some ways the full story has yet to be told.  On the original vinyl pressing, side four was left blank… a chapter missing. We recorded Chemical City with Producer Mark Howard in Newrybar, Australia in 2005 at a place called The Old Church (which is exactly what it was…an old church). After a couple of months of writing and recording, sunny beaches, fruit bats, large and small spiders, flat whites, Matt Mays… our friend and then label A&R man Allan Reid paid us a visit Down Under to see “where we were at.” As he later recounts, “Sam picked me up at the airport, took me for a swim in the bluest of oceans, then to the Church for a great steak dinner and amazing Australian wine… and then they got me high. Now it was time to hear the album… I don’t know if I was too high or if it was the jet lag but something just didn’t sound right.” (for that kind of no BS talk, Al will always hold a special place in our hearts…) At any rate – challenge accepted. We came home to Montreal three months later and resumed working on the songs, this time with childhood friend and producer Joseph Donovan. At last, armed with a finished album, we knocked on the door of the head of our record label to tell him that our now-overdue sophomore release was a concept album populated by astral voyagers, dead-beat super heroes, apocalyptic love, nefarious gangland henchmen and a rag-tag resistance…

Somewhere in all of the chaos that followed, a few of the songs were left behind. Either unmixed, unfinished or lost… Chemical City was released in 2006, ten songs and one blank side and has lived that way ever since. It is difficult for us not to consider the album as set in stone after having played the songs – the way it was meant to be. However, the truth is that there is a fourth side with songs and characters that complete the story. These songs are Major Minor (previously unreleased), Fall Before You Finish (previously released as a bonus track, now remixed and including missing tracks), The Cathedral (previously unreleased, was lost and found…) and Step Inside (previously released as a Japanese single, now remixed including missing tracks). This second pressing of Chemical City has also been remastered to incorporate the new side. Enjoy the music and thanks for listening. SRB