New York, NY (Top40 Charts) With one foot in Toronto and the other in NYC, indie rock power trio ON is back with the new single 'Make Me', a song of frustration and wanting to recapture that euphoria. This is a cry for what once was... and then resolution and a peaceful acceptance of what is.
Released via Toronto-based imprint Indiestructable Records, this single sees the trio carry on the legacy of the band from which they were formed - 90's Sire Records band Acid Test.
ON is a riveting power trio led by Lucy Di Santo (vocals, bass) with Dan Cornelius on drums and Steve Fall on guitars - apart from Acid Test, its members have also been in other popular Toronto bands
Danko Jones and Deliuss. Dishing out infectious guitar riffs with a dash of groove, their adrenaline-laden music is a invigorating, the band paying homage to their post-punk, grunge, old-school funk and 90s college rock roots.
"After our first release and jaunt with Acid Test, I was at a crossroads of musical styles; I had a desire to go back to a raw, gritty and powerful sound - I wanted to play a simple driving riff that expressed the frustration and yet immense drive I was feeling. Lyrically - I wanted to feel that "thing" that inspired me to want to pick up a guitar/bass in the first place; so I first wrote the 'Make Me' riff on a guitar. It was kind of a "oh yeah.. so take that" kind of musical statement," says Lucy Di Santo.
'Make Me' chants a polite ask (or task) of wanting to recapture that novelty, dopamine-fueled feeling that something - or someone - once sparked; to re-live a fantasy. "Can you make me want you...again?" Then followed by that bucket-of-cold water reality check and regret analysis: "Monday morning I thought I knew you. Come Thursday...I don't really care to - never meant to!" Somethings and people come into one's life for a reason - and some for a season. Living in the now - facing things as they are - growing up. And it's all ok too...
"I have a vivid memory of us in our band's rehearsal space on the corner of
Queen and Bathurst in downtown Toronto, all of us pressed up against each other with our gear and in the moment, really just going for it. Everyone's heads down into their instrument and looking up once in a while, smiling at each other and feeding off the energy of this heavy guitar driven song that we had collectively written. From the start of the first riff and the build of the snare crashing into the main riff, with the odd time section and Steve's signature double-stop guitar work, Lucy's heavy groove on bass coupled with her powerful vocals, we knew we had a song that was an audio equivalent of 70's Barracuda on full throttle, tearing down a deserted canyon road at sunset," says drummer Dan Cornelius.
Steve Fall adds, "This song really came to life in a big way during our tour of Mexico in the mid-90s with fellow Canadian rockers Rusty. Such good times. 'Make Me' brings back fond memories of my mother playfully giving my former military father the finger behind his back".
The band recently wrapped up recording sessions at BC Studio in Brooklyn with legendary producer
Martin Bisi, famed for his groundbreaking work with Sonic Youth, Swans, Brian Eno, John Zorn, Herbie Hancock, Iggy Pop, Helmet, Africa Bambaataa, Dresden Dolls, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop and many other notable artists.
ON also recently completed an extensive US tour in support of their critically-acclaimed 'ON' album, co-produced by
Darius Szczepaniak (Sum 41,
Black Crowes, Big Sugar, Bare Naked Ladies, Jann Arden) at Phase One Studios in Toronto. The album received extensive press and radio attention, not to mention charting in the
Radio Indie Alliance charts consecutively for nearly a year.
As of June 13, 'Make Me' is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple
Music and Bandcamp, where the trio's 'ON' album can also be obtained digitally or on CD.
Lyrics by Lucy Di Santo
Music written by Lucy Di Santo, Steve Fall, Gord Reilly, Dan Cornelius
Lucy Di Santo - vocals, bass
Dan Cornelius - drums
Steve Fall - lead / main rhythm guitar
Gord Reilly - rhythm guitar
Produced by Bill Hermans & ON
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Bill Hermans at Manta Sound
Video edited by Dan Cornelius
Cover photo credit: Jenni Otero
