Funeral Lakes
Written by Francis Baptiste
Photo by Katerina Zoumboulakis
The debut album from Toronto-based duo Funeral Lakes is a thoughtful and dreamy neo folk reverie. Self-produced by members Chris and Sam, the eight-song album was recorded in their apartment, then mixed by Colin Spratt at Plastic Soul Studios. If goth folk is a genre, this is what it sounds like. It’s dark and moody and benevolent, with lyrics that are socially conscious.
We caught up with Citrus via email to ask them about their debut album.
How did you two first meet?
We met in our first year of university where we lived down the hall from each other. A few years later we got together and bonded over our shared love of music. It’s pretty special that we get to share this project together, it wasn’t something that either of us expected.
What is the musical background of each of you?
Sam started writing songs and self-teaching guitar and piano when she was in high school. She’s done a few open mic performances as a solo artist, but this is her first time being part of a group. Chris started off playing drums in middle school band. It was a great way to hammer out frustration, but later picked up a guitar and turned to songwriting as a more worthwhile outlet. He’s been a part of a few different projects over the years, singing and playing guitar.
When we got together years back, we started collaborating on songwriting but those tunes never quite made it out of the safety of our bedroom. Many more personal themes worked their way into the songs — it was a period that helped us learn a lot more about each other and grow as partners.
Who painted the cover for this release?
Chris’s grandpa Stu Stubbs painted it for his wife Dorothy. He passed away before Chris was born, so this painting has been his large association with him since he was young. It had been hanging up in our apartment in Vancouver where we first started recording the album. It’s a scene of what many know as the Lions or Ch'ich'iyúy Elxwíkn (Twin Sisters) in the Squamish language, from the view of the human-made Capilano Lake.
There’s a lot to unpack, but we drew parallels between what we were writing about and what an image like this might represent. One theme was a love of nature but a reluctance to acknowledge our role in its degradation. In Vancouver, it’s hard not to be confronted by the natural landscape. Some people see that and are acting to protect the land we belong to, while some seem to believe these are permanent fixtures simply there for our use/enjoyment.
What is the songwriting process like between you?
We came together after having worked in more independent ways, which meant having to adapt our individual songwriting processes into a more collaborative one. We don’t have a single formula that we follow — every song is different — but we always begin by sharing an idea, whether that be a chord structure, melody, theme, or even just a phrase/word. From there, we often take time to chew on it independently, then come back together with piles of lyrics that we narrow down. Pretty much up until the moment the song is finished, the two of us are continually tinkering and making changes.
Some songs on this album came easily, others we had to work at more. We use certain words/terms as a means to provoke the listener to do some of their own research, and perhaps learn something new. When a topic starts to weigh on us we talk about the emotion, we research to get a better understanding, and ultimately make sure what we are saying is honest and factual.
This project came together over the course of a year where we were spent much of our time on our own — it was a period where we needed to process a lot of difficult emotions and experiences. Some things that are scary to say out loud are easier said through songs. There wasn’t much planning that went into this other than proving something to ourselves, processing and healing in one of the only ways we know how.
What does your live performance look like? Do you have other musicians who join you?
The two of us sing, Chris plays guitar and Sam plays synth. For our next show we will be joined by two members of the Toronto band Jagguar who will be playing bass/guitar and drums. We also recently recorded a new EP with the help of Colin Spratt and Charlie Van.
What prompted the move from Vancouver to Toronto?
Although we love the west coast, we felt that there may be new opportunities for us to explore in Toronto. Sam grew up in Toronto, and we both made close friends during our undergrad who are living here, so we already had a sense of community established which made the transition easy enough.