Kat Harlton
Photos provided via PR team / lead photo: Samantha Vessios
JUNO and Canadian Radio Music Award-nominated alternative-rock band Bleeker, recently released their impactful new single “Make It Better” via Known Accomplice / Cadence Music Group and all streaming platforms. In support of the single the band are also supporting award-winning band The Trews on select dates of their House Of Ill Fame Anniversary Tour.
Produced by Brian Moncarz (The Tea Party, Alice Cooper, Our Lady Peace), “Make It Better” is an anthemic feast of sounds about coming to terms with being in troubled times and pleading for someone to make things better. While the presentation is haunting and dark at times, there is an overarching and uplifting feel to the song.
Ontario-based band Bleeker is comprised of vocalist Taylor Perkins, alongside guitarist and brother Cole Perkins, bassist Mike Van Dyk and drummer Chris Dimas. Following the success of their debut album, “Erase You,” featuring the Canadian #1 chart-topping radio single “Highway,” international acclaim, and a Juno nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year, the band encountered an unexpected hiatus due to a world in lockdown.
Undeterred by the unforeseen challenges, Bleeker amicably severed ties with their label, paving the way for an exhilarating journey of self-discovery and creative autonomy. This tumultuous period not only reignited their musical spark, but also fostered a renewed sense of focus and determination to pick up where they left off and signed with budding Canadian rock indie Known Accomplice records. In 2023, the band released “Walken,” their first song release in over three years, which gave fans a taste of the new music they plan on continuing to roll out this year.
Bleeker’s powerful and dynamic stage presence, combined with their gift for crafting memorable songs, has cultivated a devoted and expanding fanbase. The band has performed around the world, captivating audiences at major music festivals and sharing stages with iconic acts such as Sublime with Rome, The Struts, Rise Against, Airborne, Papa Roach and Billy Talent.
I had the opportunity to chat with Taylor about the band’s musical journey, their new single and what’s next.
Kat: Can you share with us a bit about Bleeker and the band’s music journey so far?
Taylor: Bleeker started as another band, but with member changes and a bit of a direction changed we just thought a change was needed, and with that we were Bleeker. We released an album called Erase You with an American label. That album had a track called Highway on it, which hit number 1 in Canada and charted all over the place. We toured all over the place, here, America, Europe…it was great. We went on to release some other tracks from what was going to be an album but then covid came along and long story short we parted ways with that label and decided not to release that album. We ARE releasing an album this year. After covid we started working with Known Accomplice,(a Canadian Label) and had this burst of creative energy. We started writing like crazy, stuff we truly loved. I guess lock down gave us time to reflect on who our band was. We’re loving what we’ve been writing, and are really proud of this new record. It’s a return to our true sound we think. We released a stand-alone single and video titled Walken in October of last year and the first track from this new album just dropped today, it’s called Make it Better.
Kat: Can you share the inspiration behind your new single “Make It Better” and what you hope fans take away from it?
Taylor: It’s more or less a ‘thrill is gone’ sort of vibe. It’s all about seeing yourself disappearing from the person you maybe thought you were piece by piece. The realization that you need and want help to feel alive again. It’s overall meant to be positive though, asking for help and self-reflection should be empowering.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Taylor: The urgency to bring a song from the initial idea to the finished piece. We know we have to be patient and work it through the process but wanting it done and out there, the wait is challenging.
Kat: You are going to be supporting The Trews on their House Of Ill Fame Anniversary Tour, which is kicking off this month and includes stops across Canada. How does it feel to be a part of this tour?
Taylor: Amazing. We’ve toured with The Trews in the past. The band and entire crew are awesome people and a ton of fun to be with. It’s also a great album to celebrate. We haven’t been out west in a few years so it’s really amazing to be going back and to be playing a bunch of these new songs for people. We can’t wait really!
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far?
Taylor: That’s a tough one. We’ve been lucky enough to have a bunch, Highway hitting number 1, more recently though recording this album exactly how we wanted with no outside influence has been really empowering and in itself a big highlight. This coming tour, this coming year we have a lot of dates announcing. Playing these songs live will most definitely be a massive highlight! Sorry that’s more than one but it’s hard to pin it to only one.
Kat: What have you learned along the way that you would like to share with other aspiring artists and creators?
Taylor: Make the art you want to make and stand behind, be unapologetically you when you create your art.
Kat: What else can fans expect from you in 2024?
Taylor: LOTS! We have an album that will come out around summer with at least 2 more singles from it releasing to digital services between then and now. We have a video coming for Make It Better. We have several live dates in Ontario and a Montreal stop announcing soon. Those happen between April and July. We are on some festivals that we will be announcing soon. It’s going to be busy, a lot more shows in the works. Keep an eye on our socials. We’ll make sure to share all of them there.
Connect With Bleeker
Twitter: @BleekerOfficial
Facebook: /BleekerOfficial
Instagram: @bleekerofficial
Website: http://www.bleekerofficial.com