Back in the middle of June, someone posted a song on their instagram story to celebrate the release of an EP called… “Middle of June”. I listened, made my boyfriend listen, and then because it was perfectly fun, catchy, and cute – I played it on repeat for my dog while I was out. And y’all know, Cow deserves it.
If you are a femme-fronted band coming out of Edmonton, my dog and I are probably listening to you.
The EP came from a band called Waffelhouse. Their branding is pink and cartoony and their songs feel pink and cartoony. I spent a whole month with all 5 tracks, running not even 20 minutes long, frequently playing them through my coveted kitchen-radio (an honour tbh – not to be taken lightly), and then decided to slide into their DMs.
I invited their two lead vocalists, Madi and Caylie G., over for a fun shoot and chat. We talked about the EP, the band’s dynamic, and their dreams for Waffelhouse. The word “slay” was also used a record-number of times in my home and wow, these kids keep me young.
This was only their second interview representing Waffelhouse
And for some reason, I am still insisting that shooting while asking questions is the vibe. It’s not but I can’t help myself – cracking ‘jokes’ while photographing is my security blanket. Caylie is so quick to apologize for the unfortunate situation I’ve put her in, “I don’t know why I’m so awkward and smiley. I don’t know why I can’t figure this out, I’m so sorry.” I tell her to “just relax”, to which she replies, “me? I’ve never relaxed, not once in my life. I do not know peace.”
For all my astrology girlies, you must have figured that Caylie is the Pisces Moon and wants you to know, “it’s like… really tough out here.”
Madi recalls the day her, Caylie, and keys player, Ryan, were in the car on their way to grab a coffee between classes
when Caylie blurts out that she wants to start a band. “She said it like it was this abstract thing she could never actually do, but we were like ‘well, why don’t we… do that?’ We were all in a music program, we knew people, we just needed to do it.”
There was only one non-negotiable.
The band had to be called Waffelhouse.
“I think Waffelhouse is the coolest band name ever,” says Caylie.
“So, here we are,” says Madi.
They already had their drummer, Carter, on dial. They had to think a little harder to find the right guitarist, who eventually came to them by luck. “One day me and Caylie met up for lunch, saw him working, and we were like ‘what about Mark?’”
Mark agreed, telling them he would play the songs, but had no time or interest in being involved creatively. “It’s hilarious because now, Mark is so in it. He does all of the production and is responsible for a lot of what our sound is,” says Caylie. Their bass player was the last addition, “Connor came to us a little bit later. It kind of worked out so perfectly because he is incredible and fits the vibe so well.
Their songs come together as a group effort.
Usually starting a writing session by going around a circle asking everyone about their weekend. The Toothbrush Song was inspired by a toothbrush that felt gross on Ryan’s teeth and I guess they just started listing off everything that stresses them out. And it’s relatable because everytime I get a headache, I think I’m going to die, too.
“Part of what makes our writing process so strong is that we’re all really different as writers.” Caylie uses the 300 page note in her phone as an example for the unhinged kind of writer she is, “I’ll find a crack in the sidewalk and go, ‘oh, that’s a cute crack in the sidewalk.’”
Madi isn’t as quick to share her ideas and seems to play more of a director role when it comes to writing.
“Caylie is the songwriting genius and she can say the same thing in like 18 million different ways. If somebody doesn’t stop her – that could be the whole song. I’m good at redirecting, like ‘let’s move on from that’ or ‘what do we talk about next?’ And Caylie has really high standards. If something doesn’t feel right, she’ll say it doesn’t feel right and we won’t settle.” says Madi.
And it shows. The songs on this EP are so real and simple and obvious. That sounds bad but it’s no easy accomplishment to tell a story with words that fit together so nicely, it almost feels careless. The kind of catchy chorus you can sing along to the second time around.
They’re still figuring out what they want from Waffelhouse, but have realized they can accomplish quite a bit all on their own. They put together a short tour through BC and Alberta this past summer, something they never imagined they could do without a manager and label. “Being in the music industry is odd because you go into it with this perception of how it’s supposed to happen and then it kind of – not derails – but you get there in a different way. Everything we’ve done has been very DIY,” says Caylie. Managers and labels are useful and all, but don’t forget that you and your friends can plan a tour and just… start driving.
They share that Waffelhouse’s next step is probably an album. Madi says they’re still wanting it to feel like pop – enjoyable and pleasant – but Caylie cuts her off and says, “we’re always trying to figure out how weird we can make it before it’s like… unapproachable.”
You can catch them next TONIGHT at Felice Cafe.
They’re hosting a ‘tiny desk’esque PJ party and it’s going to be very cute. Tickets are still available here! Bye.
yayyy i love Waffelhouse