Reuben and the Dark brings dreams to light with new album

Popular Calgary indie-folk band Reuben and the Dark is releasing a new album Friday, titledArms of a Dream.

It's a project that took lead singer and songwriter Reuben Bullock out of his comfort zone and into some deeply personal territory.

Bullock along with his brother Distance Bullock appeared in The Homestretch studio on Monday to discuss the new album andthe meaning behind some of the songs. The pair also performed a tune, Dreaming, from the forthcoming album.

Below is an abridged version of that conversation.

Q: I understand you're living in Toronto now, so welcome home. What's it like to be back in your old stomping grounds?

A: Lots of good hugs from friends. it's one of those things you forget about, the roots of friendships, so it's nice kind of doing the rounds here, seeing all the people I've spent so much time with, that's been nice.

Q: Why did you make the move to Toronto?

A: Really, just for the industry at the time when we needed it. Not that there isn't an industry in Calgary, but I signed with Arts and Crafts, it's a record label out of Toronto. Same with my management and booking agent. At the time, I wanted to be in front of those people, I wanted to be in their office every day.

Q: Can you tell us about your new album, what was the motivation behind it, the theme, everything that goes along with it?

A: The title itself came from an old poem. A lot of the songsI write tend to be things that get stuck in my head for a really long time. I'll write 10 songs about a river, I'll write 10 songs about a forest fire.

In the same way, Arms of a Dream, the words just floated for so long, so I titled the record that and just started curating it into that theme, a bridge between sleeping and awake states.

The idea of something holding that mystery, of being able to touch something that is surreal. So I tried to put songs in that felt that way and ended up writing a song called Arms of a Dream too, after the record was all done, I felt like it needed that title track.

Q: You're exploring some deeply personal themes in this album as well, why did you want to go there?

A: I don't know if I wanted to go there or not, it's just, that stuff tends to move the needle when I'm looking for inspiration. If I'm sitting down and I write a song or I'm trying to write something, it ends up fleshing itself out when there's a bit of pain involved, so it's been my process.

And then it's kind of on me to take that pain and take that heartache and put it into songs that don't feel depressing, they still feel uplifting, there's still joy.

Q: What was the inspiration for [the song] All or Nothing?

A: I wrote it when I was in Los Angeles with this producer and I was super sick. The worst fever, laying on the couch and just trying to get the song finished and demoed and I think I ended up dipping into things I wouldn't normally dip into.

Just trying to find that chorus and the whole vibe of the song and then write the verses based on that. Maybe it was my feverish state that allowed me to write things that were clear and more personal than I normally do.

Q: So was it cathartic in some way?

A: Absolutely. Because I sing the stuff and it always brings me joy singing songs, and you go to a show and you have this whole audience singing the words back to you, it translates that pain, that personal memory that is maybe coming from a place that is difficult. It's all reborn on stage and it becomes a bit of a celebration.

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