The Summer Rabbit (Bruce Nelson)

New Music: The Summer Rabbit Release Self-Titled Debut

Hailing from Sydney Nova Scotia, the guys from The Summer Rabbit bring you their debut, self-titled album. Filled with the retro sounding tones of an organ and laced with melodies that scream “vintage”, this album is sure to make you miss your dad’s 1970’s record collection.

Produced and recorded at Halifax’s Strange Time Factory, Blair Lucas (vocals, rhythm guitar), Dan Taylor (bass, rhythm guitar) and Brett Chivari (percussion) have created something that intentionally draws  inspiration from the greats. It appeals to listeners with a hankering for some classic rock and roll, and appeases our taste for some tongue-cheek lyrical content with a wide variety of subject matter – songs about their lives, their friends and their daily struggles dressed up as 70’s glam rock make for a relatable, quirky and original track list.

While some of their songs ring out with modern simplicity, others dig deep and find the long lost nostalgia in all of us. All of this, while still being fun and almost comedic at times. With songs like ‘Goddamn Musician Blues’, a track that depicts the hard life of a musician, and ‘(This is Not) Another Love Song’ the band shows us some of their roots and influences. Raised on 70’s era glam rock, their lead singer Blair has named artists like T-Rex, Mott the Hoople and most notably David Bowie, as some of his major inspirations.

“I love the production sound of late 60s early 70s albums so I wanted the albums sound to resemble that,” says Lucas. Most of the music I listen to is from that era so it’s impossible to write and not capture that. There are so many great albums from that time, specifically 1967-1972.”

‘Jimmy’s a Lady Now’, despite the thought-provoking lyrics on gender identity, the album’s catchiest track was written less as a flag waving statement and more as an conceptual exercise at a glam rock album.

“I wrote Jimmy’s A Lady Now when I was nineteen, so that’s about seven years now. I was going on a super heavy 70’s glam rock kick and listening to mostly only that for a few months – especially ‘The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders of Mars’,” admits Lucas. “I loved the idea of a concept album with glam rock, so I set out to do one myself. ‘Jimmy’s A Lady Now’ was the first song I wrote in what was supposed to be a concept album called ‘The Life And Death of Jimmy Glitter’ so it was absolutely a complete Ziggy ripoff.  There have been some people who see Jimmy as some sort of statement, and we’ve had people compliment us on that, and we’ve had trouble with it as well, but it’s not a statement. I don’t write statements, I write songs. I’m not a folk singer. Jimmy is just a story about a guy who wanted to see what it was like to dress up like a girl for a little bit. That’s all.”

To top it all off, their self-referencing track ‘Run Summer Rabbit’. infused with slick guitar riffs and swift drums will make you raise your eyebrows and curl your lips into a smile. Showing off their musical prowess and abilities is something these guys do with ease.

Reminding us of the substance and rich content we like to see in music, they’ve created a timeless record with thought-provoking topics. From heartbreak to small town woes The Summer Rabbit has it covered. If you enjoy a good rock band with infusions of folk and pinch of bluegrass, make sure to check out ‘The Summer Rabbit’ and see why every tune will resound in your head for days to come.

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