Taphouse hosts The Dunes

During our interview, The Dunes’ cellphone cuts out several times. The four-piece alternative rock band is crossing the Rocky Mountains and towers are spotty at best. But they persist and eventually the following day our jagged interview is completed.

It is this determined quality to make their mark on the musical landscape that has kept them truckin’ for the past six years, primarily in Ontario and Eastern Canada. And on Thursday, May 21 they are stopping at The Taphouse as part of their national tour.

They just released Subject to Change, a 12-track album on the Curve Music label, a mere two weeks ago. And it’s what lead singer/principal songwriter Kevin Pullen describes as a more sophisticated version than their sophomore album Socializing with Life (2006).

“The arrangements are a lot tighter. The lyrics are more profound. They are better, tighter, cleaner, less compressed. But with impact and emotion.”

For Pullen this is a personal album resurrected out of a broken love affair, depression and ensuing substance abuse. “I lost myself for a while and this is about making a change.”

In fact, the album’s tracks are laid bare in a chronological order parallel to Pullen’s own descent into depression, followed by anger and sadness and eventually turning around in an awakening that allowed him to move forward.

Unafraid to bare his soul, Pullen has been inspired by Radiohead’s spirited dynamics, The Beatles’ knack for delivering catchy harmonies and The Clash’s boisterous backbeat.

Pullen, the driving force behind The Dunes, had always wanted to be a singer/songwriter for as long as he could remember. “I came back from Scotland where I’d been playing semi-professional rugby. My father was sick with cancer. It made me realize how short life is and if you have dreams to go out and live them.”

The Dunes were formed in Markham, Ont. in 2003 and were initially dubbed “ambitious, confident and charming.”

While their first album, Socializing with Life, was a collaboration of tales about love and hope, Subject to Change definitely carries a darker bite.

Rounding out the band are Paul Barry (drums/vocals), Ahmed Grim (bass/vocals) and Ryan Boiselle (guitar).