Your favourite local rock ‘n rollers are back with a brand new track from their upcoming album. The Mandevilles have just dropped “Fading Colors in the Northern Lights”, complete with a kickass (and safely socially distanced) video to go alongside it. We caught up with frontwoman Serena Pryne to chat about the song, how the pandemic has affected the band, and what they’d all be dong if they weren’t musicians.

From The Strait: Tell us about your latest track, “Fading Colors in the Northern Lights”. 

Serena Pryne: The main melody fell into my head when we were loading out after a show one night (pre-pandemic). I sang it to myself for a few days “something something morning light”… the song finally came together in a session a couple weeks later and the words “Northern Lights” just rolled off the tongue perfectly. Lyrically, it’s a bit ambiguous, but I love songs that leave room for the listener to make up their own minds about the story.

FTS: Now that we’re over a year into the pandemic, how has it been for the band? Between releasing music and doing regular livestreams, you’ve been keeping busy!

Serena: Well thank you, but it still blows. There was an enormous learning curve when tackling Twitch, which is where we livestream most of the time, but it’s been well worth it in gaining new fans and having fun of course. We have managed to stay sane-ish by streaming. I feel very lost when I don’t get to perform regularly. Now we’re just trying to plan releasing the album as a whole… 

FTS:What first made you want to be a musician? Was it a song, an artist, or just an undeniable pull to make music?

Serena: My mother listened to a lot of Rush when I was in her womb. It definitely started then. Things ramped up when I learned to sing “New York, New York” and all the more once I discovered the White Album (The Beatles) in my parent’s closet. From that moment, I was on a mission to write my own songs and be in a band.

FTS:What are some Niagara-based bands you’re diggin’ these days?

Serena: The Natrolites, JIN, Dboy, Road Waves, Sleepy Jean, Daniel Romano’s Outfit, Revive The Rose, Years of the Modern, Electric Wildlife, My Son The Hurricane, Gravely James, Foolproof, Michael Saracino, Little Nerves, The Feverish Lemons, Charles J. Hunk & the Trainwreck…. There’s a fuck ton of great music in Niagara!

FTS:If you weren’t a musician, what would be your career right now? And the rest of the band?

Serena:
Taylor – Wet Leisure Attendant
Brett (Bendo if yer nasty) – Exotic Dancer for the Elderly
Nick – Professional Sleep Artist
Dan – Ninja
Serena – Avocado Historian


Check out the video for The Mandevilles’ latest single, “Fading Colors in the Northern Lights”!