SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are used to treat anxiety. SSRIs can also be used to treat insomnia and premature ejaculating. Though more melodic and a tad more thrash than your average prescription, I was pretty excited to profile this Vancouver band, so reminiscent of the post-hardcore obsession of my younger years. I got in touch with band members Elliot Langford and Joe Hirabayashi via email and they collaborated to put together these answers to my questions.

Discorder: First of all, it’s so rad you guys are playing Sled Island in Calgary. Such a dope festival. Have you played it before? It’ll be good times. I wish I could go this year.

SSRIs: Yeah, it’s pretty rad. Last year was super fun. I think we all have a weird perception that Calgary is the most fun city just because the only time any of us have been there was for that. So if it is as fun as last year, then it will be very fun, and fun is fun, so that’s fun, which is funny fun fun. Anyhow, snakes.

D: Can you tell me about your new album?

SSRIs: It is called Effeminate Godzilla-Sized Wind Chimes. It is the first time we’ve pressed vinyl. It is our first full-length release, and it’s our first release with Tony [Dallas] and Aaron [McKinney] in the band. We recorded it last winter/spring and it has ten songs on it. Hoorah.

D: I like the album art. Who did it? Whose cat is that?

SSRIs: Caitlin Livingston did the album art and the cat is her cat Thor. Thor also worked on the album art.

D: Favourite track at all?

SSRIs: Not really. If we picked favourites, the other songs would get jealous.

D: How do you write songs? Do you just jam it out? Do you all write lyrics?

SSRIs: Sometimes we jam out the song, sometimes they are thoroughly composed, sometimes they are different peoples parts put together. Usually lyrics are by Elliot [Langford] or Joe [Hirabayashi]. Sometimes we cover CCR tunes and then just gradually change the lyrics and music.

D: What bands do you guys like?

SSRIs: I’m really going to like the bands that our kids form. Hopefully, they sound like Fugazi. Elliot spends most of his days watching Cardiacs videos on YouTube.

D: What kind of sounds do you guys like (smashing sounds, bell sounds, scratching sounds, etc.)?

SSRIs: Keyboard typing sounds. Loose change in pockets. Electronics malfunctioning. Bubbling soup. (Yum!) That thing DJs do that’s like weeooweeooweeooo.

D: Dare I ask you to define your sound?

SSRIs: I don’t know, we’re just so undefinable. We just sound like nothing else, ever. We don’t have guitars or anything. We’re just so crazy experimental out there, man. It’s kind of like if all the world cultures mixed together, and then got some fucking alien cultures in there, too, man. Like fucking Neptunians or whatever the shit. Like, don’t even try to listen to us through speakers, just listen for us in the sound of the wind…but try to specifically listen for the Neptunian parts of the wind. But actually, we just sound like pop songs that have more parts than usual and are sometimes thrashier than usual.

SSRIs’ new album comes out this month. They have a CD release party at the Biltmore on June 18. Check them out!