In 2010 Lakes of Canada’s singer/guitarist Jake Smith dealt with an unimaginable tragedy when his mother Kathleen was murdered in her home. Yet while sifting through her possessions, Smith found a copy of Margaret Atwood’s iconic dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale. The landmark book fuelled the genre-bending band’s latest concept album, Transgressions, released Oct. 16.
“The biggest challenge in writing this album was trying to write a story that is very much from the perspective of a woman and women’s struggles, as a man and trying to do that without feeling as though I was speaking on their behalf,” Smith says. “It’s a story that’s very important to me, but the reality is it’s not directly my story.”
Smith said the band approached him about the idea after he composed the first four songs.
“When we wrote the title track, when that song came together, I knew we really had something,” he says. “Lyrically, I wrote all of the songs fairly organically. It was just the different parts of the book that stood out to me came out, and then eventually I had enough for an album.”
Transgressions is highlighted by the uplifting closing title track as well as the sparse opener “Eden,” for which the band made a hot (literally) music video.
“Oh man yes! Get to dance around in fire!” Smith says. “It’s funny, though, because so many people come up to us and go, ‘Oh the whole time I was so nervous you were going to catch on fire. I’m so glad you didn’t.’ And I’m like, ‘You know we’re not idiots?’ ”
As for Atwood, the band legally didn’t need permission but contacted her about the project. She replied in a letter wishing them good luck and to keep her updated.
“Me and Conor [drummer Conor O'Neil] met her when she was touring the last of the MaddAddam series,” Smith says.
“She totally remembered us and asked, ‘When is that album coming out already?’ We just mailed it to her before we left for the Maritimes. I’m very excited and a little bit nervous to hear her thoughts on it.”
Lakes of Canada plays in Toronto on Nov. 4 and Nov. 19.
