That a person might be envious of The Envy is completely understandable. There’s the wealth of catchy, guitar-driven melodies – deceptively effortless, undeniably soaring – on the quintet’s debut album. There’s the heart-on-sleeve lyrics, delivered with a rare sincerity that, rarer still, rings both credible and true. There’s the group’s youth, and the casual beauty that emanates from confidence and self-knowledge. And there’s The Envy’s right-place, right-time, rock and roll good fortune.
Rock and roll, sure, in that modern, post-U2 sense. But luck? Nothing could be further from the truth. “Except,” allows frontman Shaun Frank, whose surname coincidentally belies his earnest poetic perspective, “Hard work creates its own luck, and we work hard. Everything we do, everything, is about being The Envy.”
Not surprisingly, it always has been. Set to storm the scene in one of those seeming overnight-success stories, every member of the band has dedicated “years – too many to count – on the road, in the clubs, in other bands. Living, breathing, hopefully being music.”
After the breakup of both a band and a long-term relationship, Frank transplanted himself to a new city on the other side of the continent, looking for a fresh start. Keyboardist Johnny tagged along, and the pair hooked up with guitarist VØID almost immediately.
“I’d met VØID once, on a tour five years earlier, and we got along like we’d been friends for years,” Frank recalls. “We both knew that we would work together eventually.” When the pair did join up to write songs, the music came fast and furious – and seemingly fit to measure. “It was like we were completing each others’ sentences, writing each others’ parts. That’s when I knew we were onto something big.” Drummer Izzy and bassist Bodan soon rounded out the lineup and the unsigned band was ready to unleash itself on both the road and the record industry.
It’s the way that The Envy was signed that leads to that erroneous suspicion of fortune playing a part. Regardless; it’s a myth-builder of a story. A demo had landed in the hands of an acknowledged music tastemaker, who anonymously requested an audience – a live audience. The band was gigging in a small town on the east coast of North America when the call came through – get back home, now, because someone big wants to hear The Envy play live, tomorrow night!
Puzzled by the mystery but trusting their manager, the guys hopped in their van “and blew 4th gear, right away,” laughs Frank. “We drove straight through – all the way, in 3rd, though. It was gruelling, but we just knew this was it.”
‘It’ was a gig in a small, packed club in the band’s hometown, at the back of which stood an admittedly imposing impresario; KISS’ Gene Simmons, who was so impressed by The Envy’s performance, that he signed the band to his own boutique label with a handshake, over Indian food, post-show, the very same night. “It’s true – kind of unbelievable, I guess, but true”. Gene told us, “Let’s dispense with the formalities and just get on it. You guys have what I’m looking for and I don’t want to waste time.”
What does The Envy have? “The hearts of lions,” says Simmons, enigmatically, yet still on point. “Hopefully he means more than just great hair,” laughs Frank.
Of course, it’s all about the music. Look no further than debut single “Don’t Let Go” for a tune that treats its title like an order; it’s not just a song that you can hum – it’s one that you will. Obvious future singles “Fingers Crossed” and “Skin on Skin” maintain the core sound, which switches with ease from soft-touch arpeggios to buzzing sneak-attack power riffs. “When people ask me what The Envy sounds like, “Fingers Crossed” is the song I point them to,” says Frank. “It’s kind of our ‘Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ – it’s a very hopeful song. After all the heartbreak and disaster and emotions, it’s the 40,000-foot view. Everyone person is looking for love. It’s about still looking.”
Back to business; Simmons was through with looking, but he meant it when he talked about dispensing formalities. “He worked with us intensively for six months before anyone put pen to legal paper,” says Frank, still incredulous that such a savvy businessman could be so down to earth. (For that alone, The Envy certainly earned their name.) Making the deal even sweeter is the fact that the group is the premiere signing to Simmons Records.
Putting his money where his mouth is, Simmons set up the band with hit songwriter Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, KISS) and producer Dave Bottrill (Tool, Muse, Silverchair). KISS also took the group on the road as the opening act on their 2010 North American “Hottest Show on Earth” tour, giving them an automatic audience of millions – without The Envy even having released an album.
That album is now ready to be unleashed. After hearing it, that a person might be envious of The Envy is completely understandable – in fact, it’s pretty much expected.
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