There’s something magical about seeing a band play in their hometown, and The Beaches are no exception.
The local rock band hit the stage at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall on Nov. 1 for the first of their two hometown shows in the middle of a tour that has taken them across North America. Headlining a concert complete with killer guitar solos and panties thrown onstage, these women are embodying rock stardom.
Their new album, Blame My Ex, has given fans a plethora of songs that take you from comforted to crying in a key change.
Want someone or something to blame for your behaviour post-breakup? It’s time to blast “Blame Brett.”
Struggling with social anxiety? “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid,” is the song for you.
In your Sex and the City era? The band’s lead singer told the crowd at their show that “Me & Me,” is for the “Carrie Bradshaw b*****s” in the room.
With songs that make you want to sing along, scream along, dance, and cry, the album is destined to become a staple for lonely hearts. Now Toronto caught up with the band ahead of their Toronto show to discuss their new album, the inspiration behind some of their songs, and their own dating experiences. Plus, they dished on a new campaign they’re working on alongside Tinder to help other singles find “the one.”
Made up of lead singer and bassist Jordan Miller, her sister and guitar player Kylie Miller, guitar and keyboard player Leandra Earl and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel, The Beaches have won the hearts of Torontonians old and young over their 10-plus year career. That much was apparent when the group took over Massey Hall.
Playing a variety of songs from both their new album and older projects, the Juno Award-winning band had audience members of the sold-out concert singing their hearts out, dancing with friends, and cursing (and perhaps missing?) their exes.
Jordan shared a little insight into the inspiration behind their latest album, which was released back in September.
“Most of the songs are about my breakup, but more about the ebbs and flows of what happens to you after you experience heartbreak,” Jordan shared. For example, “Blame Brett” is reportedly named after Jordan’s ex, Glorious Son’s frontman Brett Emmons. Meanwhile, “Edge of the Earth,” is actually about Earl’s ex. So, fans can enjoy a variety of breakup songs about the different experiences that come with the end of a relationship.
“Like there are a couple of sexy songs on there about some new people that I was dating after my heartbreak. Then there’s a couple of songs about my ex, of course,” Jordan explained.
TINDER MATCHMAKER
Dating can be awkward and uncomfortable at the best of times and as cool as they are, the rock band is no strangers to having awkward dating experiences.
Earl explained that she once matched with someone who had selected a song by her band as their profile theme song. Jordan had a similar awkward experience herself.
“I accidentally matched with someone who was wearing a The Beaches t-shirt. I was like, I don’t know if this is appropriate to date a fan,” she laughed.
While finding a special someone can sometimes be a drag, it can be fun to help your friends and families find someone special. Enter dating app Tinder’s new Matchmaker feature.
The band has partnered with Tinder to launch the new tool for platform users in Canada. Matchmaker lets family and friends check out the profiles and give their seal of approval – or not! So, long gone are the days of needing to gather around your friends’ cellphones to decide whether to swipe left or right.
“Users can now invite others, whether they have a Tinder profile or not, to view and suggest potential matches,” Tinder said in a press release.
But worry not, your friends and family cannot message, or swipe for you.
Enman-McDaniel shared that the partnership made sense, as the band has long been fans of Tinder. Plus, she has had success on the platform.
“I personally am in a long-term relationship that started because of Tinder,” the drummer shared. “We started dating about seven years ago, so I have always loved Tinder. And this new Matchmaker feature is super cool.”
“You can just swipe away, [and] send potential matches to whoever you like! Whoever’s advice you trust!”
Earl shared that it feels like the perfect partnership.
“Because we’re in the Blame My Ex era. So, half of us are looking to be on these apps. And you know, happy to be! I’ve never been on Tinder.”
HOW TO HEAL YOUR BROKEN HEART
After going through some of their own breakups, The Beaches shared some advice for those nursing their own heartbreaks.
“Start to spend time by yourself so that you can start to fall in love with yourself again. The thing that got me through my breakup was spending time alone, doing things by myself that gave me pleasure,” Jordan shared.
The lead singer explained that acts of self-care, like having a glass of wine alone at a cocktail bar, going to see a movie by herself, taking a solo walk, or getting into a new art project, allowed her to heal her heart after her breakup.
“Just enjoy your alone time. Because that will make you feel excited to meet other people. But it also makes you feel like it’s OK to be on your own.”
But for the social butterflies in the room, Earl has completely different advice based on her own experiences.
“Go out with friends and kind of lean into the friendships where maybe you weren’t as involved while you were in your relationship.”
She shared that she experienced a bad breakup over the past summer and found herself feeling low, but surrounded by friends who were both willing and able to lift her up.
“[It] really showed me how friends can show up for you when you really need them.”
RED FLAGS AND GREEN FLAGS WITH THE BEACHES
So, with some members of the band exploring the world of dating, we had to know what their red and green flags are when it comes to a potential partner.
“Green flag, I guess is a good sense of humor. I love to laugh,” Jordan explained, “A red flag is… someone who seems boring,”
A good sense of humour is also a green flag for Earl.
“Because I love to laugh, but I also like to make people laugh.”
She shared that a red flag for her is not liking to go out and socialize.
“I don’t mean it as in, like, I don’t like introverts. But for me, a red flag is when someone doesn’t like to go out because I like to go out on dates and be social.”
Enman-McDaniel says being easy to talk to is a green flag, and in addition to being a killer drummer, she’s also a grammar queen.
“A red flag. If you have bad grammar. if you don’t know the difference between your and you’re… Sorry,” she laughed.
Kylie wants to be with someone who is not intimidated by The Beaches’ success, and respecting your mama is also a must for her!
“A red flag is for sure when someone is mean to their mom, or like, isn’t nice to their mom.”
