Dragonette’s newest album brings the brain and the bod back to the beat
It’s a scalding 32 degrees in lush Prince Edward County, two hours east of Toronto, and Canadian pop trio Dragonette is taking cover on a 52-acre woodland estate owned by lead singer Martina Sorbara’s family. Her dad, Greg, is a longtime Liberal MPP and former Ontario finance minister. The Sorbara compound is the group’s official HQ for the weekend. Cooling their heels in a man-made lake after a feverish tour cycle, the Juno winners—Sorbara, her husband, producer and bassist Dan Kurtz, and drummer Joel Stouffer—are trying to unwind. But a cellphone ring echoes among the flora, fauna and even a few fawns, and FASHION’s shoot in a converted barn turned photo studio calls them away from nature.
“We really are a little bit country and a little bit rock ’n’ roll,” says Sorbara, breaking into an impromptu version of Dolly Parton’s “Love Is Like A Butterfly” while eyeing the makeup and jewellery strewn over an old picnic table. A lifetime ago, Sorbara was a solo artist who wrote what she called “tamponic” folk music. Her image then would have blended in with the Lilith Fair feel of today’s surroundings.
Dragonette’s latest disc, Bodyparts, seems a universe away from the folk and country and western influences the band has explored in the past. More dancefloor than road-trip, their new batch of high-octane pop succeeds their glossy 2007 debut, Galore, and 2009’s rockier Fixin’ To Thrill. Unlike previous releases, Bodyparts has a lot in common with “Hello,” the group’s recent chart-topper with DJ/producer Martin Solveig, who has since built on that sound while producing songs for Madonna’s MDNA.
“Emphasizing the excess is what Dragonette’s always been about.”
“We are now a rococo version of ourselves, which I actually think can be a good thing,” Kurtz says of Bodyparts’ synth-, drum machine- and hand clap-heavy sound. “Emphasizing the excess is what Dragonette’s always been about. Bringing on the bells and whistles is kind of in our blood.”
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