ON - Gator
Toronto-NYC indie rock power trio ON is back to blow our minds with their fresh single 'Gator', released via Toronto-based imprint Indiestructable Records. Like a 2000-pound-per-square-inch bite force from an Alligator, this 6/8 groove is a hook-laden rock waltz. It’s a parody and observation about living in a gated community amongst live Alligators roaming free. Gator’s meaning is two-fold.
ON is a riveting power trio led by Lucy Di Santo (vocals, bass) with Dan Cornelius on drums and Steve Fall on guitars. Their latest music output sees the trio carry on the legacy of the band from which they were formed - 90's Sire Records band Acid Test. its members have also been in other popular Toronto bands Danko Jones and Deliuss.
“This song was written while the band was on a writing/recording session in Naples, Florida. We stayed in a gated community - meaning pass codes to enter the neighborhood and real “surveillance”. In the community was this pond - with freely roaming alligators. And there we have it - we think we are boundless and free - and yet we have lines and gates to keep us so called “safe”. There is the illusion - masking the element control as “safety”…. While the alligators roam freely. One begs to ask: who of the two “gators” is really free here?” says frontwoman Lucy Di Santo.
Dishing out infectious guitar riffs with a dash of groove, their adrenaline-laden music is a invigorating, the band paying homage to their post-punk, grunge, old-school funk and 90s college rock roots. 'Gator' follows up the band's latest single 'Make Me', a song of frustration and wanting to recapture that euphoria.
“We had a cool riff and Lucy had a great melody but we didn't have an intro to the song. We were working this up demoing it in Drew's 'Starsound Studios' in Cape Coral , Fla. Lucy took a break, went into the truck we rented and hummed a melody. I copied it on my guitar through my cheap Blackstar practice amp w/the delay feature and we put it down as a track. The vibe just worked so we kept that original track in the main verse and as a hook throughout the song. And that original track stayed even as we added more layers and mixed," says Steve Fall.
Dan Cornelius adds, “The song has a strong guitar hook and melody - and the drums are tailored to support and enhance those elements. So I thought the drums should be a drum pattern that anyone could tap along to ON their steering wheel while waiting for traffic. Simple drum groove. Simple drum fills.”
The band is currently busy recording their next record at BC Studio in Brooklyn with legendary producer Martin Bisi, famed for his groundbreaking work with Sonic Youth, Swans, Brian Eno, John Zorn, Herbie Hancock, Iggy Pop, Helmet, Africa Bambaataa, Dresden Dolls, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop and many other notable artists.
ON also recently completed an extensive US tour in support of their critically-acclaimed 'ON' album, co-produced by Darius Szczepaniak (Sum 41, Black Crowes, Big Sugar, Bare Naked Ladies, Jann Arden) at Phase One Studios in Toronto. The album received extensive press and radio attention, not to mention charting in the Radio Indie Alliance charts consecutively for nearly a year.
As of September 5, 'Gator' is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
