Vancouver’s Red Herring is gearing up to release their first new group of songs in over 35 years with the Neon EP due November 6. Last month, the band shared the first single, “The Brain Song” from the upcoming EP along with an official music video. Vancouver Weekly now has the exclusive premiere of their brand new single “Julia.”
Formed in 1984, by the end of their first year they had won CITR Radio’s first Shindig. Within the following year, their debut EP Taste Tests was released with critical acclaim from the Vancouver Sun and Discorder Magazine, earning the band the title “the thinking man’s dance band” with their art-rock sound, and thought-provoking lyrics.
In the past 36 years, band members have gone on to make their mark in Canadian music with members recording or touring with artists as diverse as Sarah McLachlan, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Veda Hille, and Ray Condo.
Speaking about the new single, vocalist and songwriter Enrico Renz says, “This is the most romantic song on our album Neon. I was reading a lot of Alan Watts at the time and I think you’ll find a lot of him in the lyrics.” Adding to the romanticism of the song, Renz explains, “the video is looped stock footage of a gondola in Venice, shot by a Bulgarian filmographer known as valio84sl.”
The Neon EP features the complete original 1980s lineup: Enrico Renz on vocals/guitar, Stephen Nikleva on guitar, Martin Walton on bass, Steve Lazin on drums; plus hired gun collaborator (upgraded to full band member) Id Guinness on keys, and the game-changing Tania Gosgnach on backup vocals.
Neon is comprised both of material written many years ago as well as newer songs. The EP represents the sense of promise of the band’s early material which never left their minds. What began as a collaboration between songwriter Enrico Renz, who was studying philosophy at UBC, and guitarist Stephen Nikleva, who had just finished recording with Ferron, became a 4-piece band and has now grown to a 6-piece powerhouse.
Watch the official visual for “Julia” below.
nlml
