Paul Saulnier, frontman of indie duo PS I Love You, chatted with us about making the Polaris Prize longlist, who he’s excited to see at Osheaga and the band’s next album.

CanCulture: How would you describe your sound?

Paul Saulnier: We’re just sort of like a loud rock band. And we’re kind of noisy and kind of poppy at the same time. At least that’s what I try to be.

CC: Who are your biggest influences musically?

PS: I think if you combine [drummer] Benjamin [Nelson] and my influences, it will be . . . he would probably say New Order, Jimi Hendrix.

CC: With the pedal keyboard and the guitar and singing, it sounds like a lot of multi-tasking. How do you do it all at once? Is that a challenge?

PS: It is pretty difficult. It just takes a lot of practice. It’s kind of a limitation that keeps the songs from getting too complex, which I think is something that I like. I like songs that sort of hit that spot of being really simple and straightforward, but also interesting and catchy. So the difficulty of doing that helps us in the songwriting.

CC: You’ll be playing Osheaga this weekend, and you were also at the Ottawa Bluesfest earlier this summer. How do festivals compare with smaller shows that you’re maybe more used to doing?

PS: I felt a little bit overwhelmed, especially when there’s like tons and tons of people. And another thing too, not being really able to like hang out with people, just having to be backstage in a giant trailer. I like playing big festivals, but I prefer the sort of intimate club setting because I don’t really like being all that separate from the audience. That’s a hard thing to get used to, actually. I’m glad we played a bunch of festivals leading up to Osheaga because you kind of have to train yourself to be different because you’re not really interacting with the crowd as closely as you do at a bar. You’re interacting with however many metres of space between you and the crowd. It’s a little difficult to get used to, but it’s also kind of awesome at the same time.

CC: What are you most looking forward to about Osheaga?

PS: Hanging out with some friends, seeing other bands, trying to have a good time. I’m also looking forward to [playing] a couple new songs, I hope to see how people react to them.

CC: Are there any specific bands you’re looking forward to seeing?

PS: Yeah, both Ben and I are really looking forward to seeing Twin Shadows. And I’m looking forward to seeing The Flaming Lips and The Tragically Hip. I don’t remember who else, there’s too many bands to remember.

CC: You made the Polaris Music Prize longlist last month. How did that feel?

PS: It felt great. It was nice to get that kind of recognition from the Canadian music press and business people. It inspires us to keep doing what we’re doing. You know, I feel less nervous about people liking our second album now. Yeah, it’s a good feeling.

CC: How would you describe the music scene in Kingston, where you’re from?

PS: Kingston, it’s a pretty small scene, but there’s a lot of musicians here, so there’s always new bands starting up and a few acts to get behind. It’s a good scene but it’s pretty small. And there’s a lot of good bands, but you don’t really have – there’s no real overall sound that comes out of Kingston. It’s like a bunch of different bands and all kinds of sorts of genres and stuff, which keeps them interesting. Like you can go see a punk show, or a bluegrass/folk show, or a rap/rock show. Whatever you want, really, you’ll find it.

CC: What kind of influence do you think that had on you?

PS: Well it certainly helped us not really care about what anyone else thinks or not try to follow any sort of trends on any kind of local level. That’s a really great thing, but what makes it really great though is also just finding support from friends and fans in the scene. That combination of like, caring but not caring is sort of who I am.

CC: How have you felt about the way people have responded to your music?

PS: I feel really great about it, I mean we’ve got a lot of really great responses, and a couple bad ones, but it doesn’t really get me down. I don’t really have any expectations about anything, sort of playing. So I’m kind of overwhelmed by the reactions we’ve been getting and continue to get. And I’m just grateful that we get to tour and play festivals. I never thought that would ever happen.

CC: Your first full-length album came out last fall. What are you plans for a follow-up?

PS: We have a couple sort of one-off singles planned. We’re recording a full-length album right now. I’m not sure exactly when it will be released. Not this year, but probably early next year. We’re going to tour North America in the fall, then probably take a bit of a break, and then put out the new album as soon as we can, and then tour relentlessly next year.

CC: Where do you see this band going in the future?

PS: That’s hard to think about. I don’t know where to go from here. We tour America, Canada, and Europe, and I’d just like to keep doing that. That’s one of those things that only gets better because more and more people come out to your shows every time you visit their city. I could just see us doing the same thing, but it being better.

— Photo courtesy of Ming Wu