If we were to listen to our readers, you blessed little weathervanes of all that is good and cultureful, we’d have a clear indication of where Prince Edward Island is headed. Never mind the continental drift, four months after the release of the Story of a House Fire, the six-song EP from Get Well Pharmacy, the island is showing a discernible list in that direction. Today we have the band’s first follow up single, the cryptically-titled “First Responders.”
Despite having moved to Ontario, the duo continue to grow a dedicated east coast following—in no small part due to that intrinsic urge to tour back home that all musicians seem to possess. That experience in itself provided the foundation for “First Responders.”
“It’s funny cause we really kind of ended up making this East Coast rock song, which very much feels like its own genre in the nicest way possible. Zak and I both live in Ontario, but if you lock us in a room I don’t think we can help ourselves,” says Get Well Pharmacy’s Brett Gallant.
And, to be fair, that has recently become a legitimate thing, if something of a curious niche. Spotify and Every Noise At Once have recognized PEI Indie as a distinct genre that falls somewhere between Matt Mays and Newfoundland (and yes, it does include Get Well Pharmacy). In the case of Get Well Pharmacy’s “First Responders,” it also sounds a bit like a rose-tinted world of nostalgia, despite some misgivings.
“I kind of see it as our ode to the middle ground. The high you feel after you realize you’re doing better than you thought,” explains Gallant. “It all came from being back home in [Prince Edward Island] Christmas break and walking to a corner store, which I hadn’t done since the last time I was home for Christmas, and realized that I was doing a lot better than I was a year ago.
I think, like anyone, you kind of grow tired of your hometown when you’re in high school. It really took leaving it all behind to really love and appreciate it when you come back. I blamed PEI for a lot of my shit growing up and so I left, and in leaving I just kind of realized that it was probably more the situations I was in than where I was. It kind of made me fall in love with the place again.”
While Get Well Pharmacy say there are more plans to return to the East Coast for some summer dates, they have yet to officially announce any shows for the season.