Kat Harlton
Ottawa garage-rockers Ornaments, recently released a couple of new singles “Chimp” and “Run For Cover” on all streaming platforms. Founded in 2009, Ornaments specializes in melodic, punky garage rock – think the kinetic energy of the Who crossed with the chainsaw power pop of the Buzzcocks.
I had the opportunity to chat with David Pierce about the band’s new music, career highlights and what’s next.
Kat: The band recently released a couple of new singles, “Run for Cover” and “Chimp”. Can you talk about the inspiration behind them? How did they come about?
David: Both of these songs came about pretty quickly once we started getting together post-pandemic.
On Run For Cover, Andy stumbled onto the outro bassline when we were free jamming and we ended up constructing the rest of the song from there, which I’d say took less than an hour. Really immediate by our standards.
Lyrically, it had lots of inspirations, but it’s basically about being worn down by uncomfortable, toxic interactions about politics, social justice issues, the pandemic, masks, vaccines — really important conversations, but also really exhausting when the other side isn’t even trying to hear what you’re saying. Sometimes you have to retreat a little bit for the sake of your own sanity.
Chimp was a challenge from Andy to write something *really* short and punky. I think the band OFF! was one reference point, as was an old Pearl Jam tune called Lukin — really short songs. I think the original goal was to get it under a minute, although it ended up being a bit longer than that.
The lyrics aren’t very ambiguous. I tend to write with my heart on my sleeve, which I kind of wish I didn’t do so much. It was weeks into the “freedom” convoy and we’d all had it with that mess, so it was cathartic to yell about it a bit. It’s a dumb song about dumb people.
Kat: What do you hope fans connect with on the new tracks?
David: We feel like both songs are pretty catchy and topical. Hopefully they connect with people who like one or both of those things. We’re really excited to start playing them live.
Kat: What has been the biggest career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way? or do you have any advice for those just starting out in the music industry
David: Honestly, I’ve just enjoyed playing music all these years with some of my best friends. We’ve met so many cool bands, gotten to play on so many cool stages, and everyone is as excited as they’ve ever been about making more new music. My best advice is to play music with people you love and respect. The “industry” stuff has to come second to that — says the guy who has never made a dime playing music!
Kat: You have a show coming up on August 6th at House of TARG in Ottawa, what can audiences expect from one of your live performances?
David: We always play pretty loud and sweaty, but I expect this one is going to be particularly high energy. We haven’t been on stage since early 2020, so our excitement level is at an all-time high. Rehearsals are sounding great, it’s House of TARG, Holy Christopher and The Dant Danners are really excited — I think it’s going to be a really special night.
Kat: What’s next? More new music? Maybe more live shows?
David: We’re on a bit of a creative high, so I’d expect more new music sooner than later. And there are definitely more shows in the works.
Connect with Ornaments: https://linktr.ee/ornamentsband