We chat with Vancouver-based trio The R.E.S.E.A.R.C.H. about their fantastic new garage-rocking single “Fast Forward” and their creative process overall.

“Fast Forward” blends upbeat garage-rock energy with deeply personal themes. How did that emotional context influence the song’s sound and arrangement? 

The main idea was to not let the emotional origins of the song influence the sound or arrangements. It’s not a sad song, the idea was to keep the upbeat energy and show that we rock. The inspiration for the song is different then what the song is actually about.

The track shifts between punchy verses and distortion-driven choruses. How do you approach building tension and release in such a short, high-energy song? 

I think the idea is to keep the verses more in line with what you want to say. For the chorus you want to make it so the casual listener still gets hooked. The real trick is in building the tension so you can draw it back in just to re release it again and hope at that point the people are singing along.

The production is lively and layered, yet tight and cohesive. What elements were most important in achieving that replay-inducing quality? 

Ryan Worsley is a magician. Our work together with Brother Ali feels effortless. We always start from the idea that we have no boundaries. I think that plays a large part in our success of achieving shit people want to hear. We have an idea or listen to something we think is cool and we allow it to influence what each of us bring to the table.

As a production-focused trio that collaborates widely, how does your workflow usually evolve from an initial idea to a finished track? 

It’s never the same. Sometimes it starts with a vocal, sometimes it starts with a beat. Some songs start with just a guitar lick. In the last year and a half we have had a variety of people we have worked with and to get to the finished product never seems to take the same route.

The group embraces a wide stylistic range and resists sticking to one sound. How does this single fit into your broader creative direction? 

Awesome question. As a new group with no catalogue and just making new fans we are acutely aware that the success of the single “Fast Forward” will naturally make some fans want to have expectations. That being said, it’s very likely that the next single we release will fill those expectations and give the people what they want.

If you could collaborate with any artist, alive or dead, who would it be — and what kind of project would you want to create together? 

Dolly Parton. Easy question. Actual factual living legend. The term GOAT gets over used but in this case it’s not enough. Wrote more hits than she sang. After all this time she is still getting joints off. Pound for pound she has to mentioned in the best to ever do it.

What’s next for The R.E.S.E.A.R.C.H. — more singles, genre-blending experiments, or new collaborations?

We have a real strong follow up single named GO! While the album has some rap songs and even some bedroom pop. We have collaborations with different artists from around Vancouver but right now we have to follow up with what worked. High energy guitar hero shit. We have had way better than expected success with the “Fast Forward” release and we have to wait to see how far that reaches before we can release GO!

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