It would be a mistake to pigeonhole Squamish’s The Katherines as a run of the mill female pop band.
Beyond the fact they are a trio of young women, they are the antithesis of a bubble gum band, though they say some try to label them that way.
The band, made up of Quest University students and sisters Kate, 21, and Lauren, 18, Kurdyak and longtime friend Kaitlyn Hansen-Boucher, 21, released their debut album To Bring you My Heart on Jan. 13.
On Jan. 20 The Katherines will have their full album release party at The Cobalt in Vancouver.
The album is genre busting. The songs range from the rocking Minefield to the classically influenced Heart On The Table.
The variety is intentional, says Kate, the band’s songwriter.
“There are angry rock songs, there’s break-up ballads, there’s super alternative music and then there is the classic pop songs,” she said.
The women’s hope is that people listen to the album start to finish, rather than only listening to one song at a time.
“If you want to get an idea of different sides of us take a listen to the whole thing,” Kate said, while snuggled up in an armchair in the lobby of Quest, where she is a forth year student. Her sister Lauren is a first-year at the school.
Because the three were sisters and friends long before they were a band, they have a bond that keeps them authentic and humble.
“The whole sister thing keeps you very grounded,” Kaitlyn Hansen-Boucher said and then all three laughed heartily. They are supportive of each other, but also keep each other in check, she added.
The women harmonize effortlessly, both in their songs and when they are in conversation, often starting to say the same thing at the same time.
Asked their favourite song to perform live the three women said “Minefield” in unison.
“It is so groovy,” said Hansen-Boucher. “It just gives me those good feels.”
Their label, 604 Records, which also represents rockers Marianas Trench and Theory Of A Deadman, as well as country crooner Dallas Smith, gave them a lot of creative freedom with this album, the women said.
The 13 songs on the album were written over the last five years so follow the women’s coming of age, according to Kate.
What the band has struggled with, however, is how they are sometimes perceived – as a sexy pop band that lacks substance.
“We like doing our hair and putting on make up and we like looking nice and sometimes that doesn’t work in our favour because that sometimes is all people see, which is tough,” said Hansen-Boucher. Though the three are classically trained and experienced musicians, they have been asked in interviews about their favourite lip-gloss, for example, she added, with a roll of her eyes.
“You would never ask a guy band this question.”
The women acknowledge the way young women are treated in the still male-dominated music industry is a microcosm of the world outside it.
Lauren recently did a presentation in a class at Quest comparing male and female Instagram accounts.
“Boys are doing and showing off their life and activities and girls are showing off their bodies,” she explained, adding she understands why that is. “It is what is rewarded…. But it just depends on what kind of doors you want to open.”
Ultimately, the women said they want to go out on a cross-country tour to share with new fans their true passion, their music.
For more on the band to go www.katherinesband.com.
