Because they found their footing during the pandemic, The Cancellations is a gem of a local band that's flown mostly below the radar so far. The pop-rockers will celebrate the release of their third LP Pity Parade on Saturday, June 11. They’ll be joined by Transistor and Paisley and the Birdwalkers at The Underdog in Inglewood (that’s the bar formerly known as Turn One, across Gallatin Pike from El Jaliciense). Pity Parade is the third release from the group in a very short time: Frontman Elijah Jones, 44, co-founded the group with guitarist Erik Matthijs, 40, in 2019, after jones’ solo songwriting vehicle The Tenderness dissolved.
“Earlier in my career,” Jones says cryptically, “I made compromises I'll never make again.” He and Matthijs, both Atlantans, are no longer waiting around to catch a break. The five-piece's debut Fist Fight came out last Valentine's Day; Love Letter followed six months later. Both are studies in formidable, emotionally direct songcraft. But Jones, Matthijs, guitarist Anthony Keener, bassist Jared Wuestenberg and drummer Nick Ferrell have turned a corner creatively with Pity Parade. The Cancellations' days as a well-kept secret seem numbered.
Jones’ candid, fatalistic lyrics on tunes like the debut's “It Won't Leave Me Alone” and the new album''s “Schizophrenic Blues” pull no punches about addiction and mental illness. After several tries at getting sober, he completed an inpatient stay at Cumberland Heights eight years ago.
“I'll always love writing about that shit,” the singer says with a wry smile, “but songwriting is what fulfills me now — what makes it worth getting up in the morning.”
Pity Parade, like its predecessors, was recorded with native Mancunian Jonny Lucas at his Berry Hill studio, Round Corner. “But we threw the kitchen sink at it,” says Matthijs of the 13-song collection. “We took a different approach to it than we did on the other two.” Jones elaborates: “Fist Fight was bare-bones. Love Letter was a mixture of bedroom and studio. Here, we followed wherever the songs took us, with the thought that we'll figure out how to do it live later.”
Lucas’ uncluttered production lets the band experiment texturally and stylistically, with Jones' well-worn vocals serving as the glue. “Verse and a Chorus” is part lounge lament, part power-pop triumph. “Whatever You Want” grafts surf-rock leads onto motorik drums. “We Are Not Alone” is a Phoenix-style call to the dance floor. “Shoot Me In the Face” recalls Squeeze's 1979 New Wave masterwork Cool for Cats. The cinematic “Secret Truth” features Pink Floyd atmospherics and a Bowie-esque space motif. On the album-closing “Digital Cage,” trap beats skitter lazily across sparse verses before the band finds the pocket halfway through, going full-on punk rock.
Breaking from hammering away at its set list ahead of the release party, The Cancellations invited the Scene over to the Charlotte Park house Jones shares with Pierre, his cantankerous, roly-poly orange tabby. The frontman's bedroom doubles as the jam room, while shelves of CDs (meticulously organized by style) and racks of vintage threads take up most of the available real estate. Between songs, the six of us cleared some space in the living room to chat.
Erik and Elijah — remind me how the two of you met.
Erik Matthijs: Working at Urban Outfitters in Atlanta.
Elijah Jones: A bullshit job. [Laughs.]
EM: We both eventually landed in Nashville, and reconnected when I went to one of his solo shows.
EJ: It was the first gig I'd played in years, after a long mental hiatus.
EM: He had some songs, so we went from there.
Where did The Tenderness end and The Cancellations begin?
EJ: No one was showing up at the shows. The songwriting was turning more bitter. [Laughs.]
How has this group been so prolific? What's your secret?
EJ: I just love writing, and recording. It's my favorite thing.
Jared Wuestenberg: Mine too.
EM: Same.
EJ: I only feel useful if I stay writing. We're already working on our fourth record.
What are your core influences?
EJ: The Everly Brothers.
EM: Roy Orbison.
EJ: At a certain age, you just reach back to what you were listening to at 13.
Outside the band, how did you stay inspired during the pandemic?
Nick Ferrell: Took a deep dive into reggae, and traveled to Africa —Tanzania — on safari.
JW: Got heavy into Nick Cave. The Birthday Party too, but that's a different vibe.
EJ: Been collecting Wreckless Eric records ever since he played The East Room last fall. That was one of the best shows I've ever seen, and there were only 20 people there. I'm into weird ’60s prog, too — Amon Düül from Germany, Omega from Hungary, Happy End from Japan.
What are The Cancellations' short- and long-term goals?
EJ: Playing out of town is what we're focusing on, but we do love playing 5 Spot and Springwater. Springwater is grimy. You can do whatever you want there. And 5 Spot, the sound's amazing. Seen a lot of great bands there, so it's nice to be a part of. … There's no money or fame in this. Those days are long gone. Touring is where we make progress. Spotify and Instagram will never feel real in the way loading up the equipment, playing for 20 people, talking to them after, and seeing them again the next time, does.
