The Submarines released “Love Notes/Letter Bombs” earlier this month. The band is currently touring in support of the new album, including a show at the Black Cat on Thursday. “You digest everything you listen to, in a way,” Dragonetti said during a recent phone interview on what influences went into “Love Notes/Letter Bombs.” “I think just generally we wanted to make a record that, we wanted to have fun playing the songs live. We wanted something a little faster. I don’t know if we succeeded, but we tried. We tried to keep it more minimalist and less atmospheric, but I think maybe we still ended up with that.”
“We started out with this sort of minimalist aesthetics,” added Hazard as the couple drove from Chicago to Toronto last week. “We didn’t really succeed in making it quite so minimalist.”
| ONSTAGE |
| The Submarines |
| » Where: Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW |
| » When: Thursday, doors at 9 p.m. |
| » Info: $10, doors at 9 p.m. blackcatdc.com |
This is the third full-length effort for the pair, after 2006’s “Declare a New State!” and “2008’s “Honeysuckle Weeks.” Apple featured the song “You, Me and the Bourgeoisie,” a stand-out track for “Honeysuckle Weeks,” in a nationwide television commercial for its iPhone 3GS.
“Certainly it exposed us to a lot of people, which is great,” Hazard said. “I think it brought more people to hear of our band and listen to more songs. It’s been a good relationship.”
During a live performance, Dragonetti and Hazard play off each other, with each sharing vocals and instrument duties. The enthusiasm, in addition to the danceable, lushly layered music, is infectious.
“Obviously, Blake’s got such a great voice,” Dragonetti said. “I guess my voice is my guitar in a way. I feel like I’m very focused on holding down the fort. I think it works as a whole. But yeah, we’re both very different people.”
One major difference from the new music may be reflected in the live show.
“With this new record, a lot of the songs are a little dancier,” Hazard said. “John dances less than I do.”
