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We Are Wolves

Who? Combining two seemingly inexhaustible indie rocktrends — bands from Montreal and groups with razor-toothed wildlife intheir names — dance/thrash/punk trio We Are Wolves definitively provesneither craze is played out. Made up of longtime friends Alex Ortiz(bass/guitar/vocals), Vincent Levesque (keyboards/ beatbox/vocals) andAntonin Marquis (drums/vocals), these Wolves dropped their 2005 debut Non-Stop Je Te Plie En Deux on Fat Possum, while their ultra-aggressive follow up Total Magique arrived in October via the Dare to Care imprint.

What’s the Deal?Coming off like the maladjusted offspring of the Faint, Brainiac, ShoutOut Out Out Out and Ghostland Observatory, We Are Wolves use theirinstruments just as much as weapons to weave a sinister groove thatchallenges, nee dares, listeners to keep from dancing. That the threemanage such an in-your-face sound without ever sounding abrasive is atestament to their mettle as songwriters. Take the vicious single”Fight & Kiss” — the title might as well double as their missionstatement — which rides on an Atari 2600-style drone, a squawkingfour-note keyboard line, galloping drums and commands to “Come and kissme/Wasting all these years.” That synthesis is likely part of thereason WAW took the Galaxie Rising Stars award at October’s M ForMontreal music showcase.

Fun Fact: Think there aretoo many Wolves bands out there these days? Chances are We Are Wolvesdo, too, thanks to a defunct Portland, Ore. hardcore band by the samename. Thankfully the Portland Wolves’ MySpace page acknowledges theduplicity — “If you saw We Are Wolves it is the one from Canada andyou should click on their picture below and go be their friend becausethey are nice and still a band” — and redirects fans to the MontrealWolves’ band page.

Now Hear This:
We Are Wolves – “Fight & Kiss” DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
We Are Wolves at MySpace
wearewolves.net

Talk: Would you go dancing with these Wolves?