Katie Sketch (center in image), lead singer of The Organ, and the band released Grab That Gun in November of last year. The album is rooted in post-punk aesthetics, the guitar work coming off as facile and lithe and the emotional landscape it portrays is bleak but not unwelcoming. RMR got a chance to question the motivations behind the album, as well as appease some very queer lingering questions.

[RMR]: I understand that Grab that Gun as we now know it was the second recording attempt spread across numerous studios. How did that experience affect the sound? How was the second attempt sonically different from the first?

{KS}: the first time we recorded, we used an assortment of
borrowed amps and guitars. i thought more care put
into these elements and not the actual recorded
performances. we decided that the album would sound
better if more attention was given to the playing. we
used our own crappy gear despite the popping and
buzzing and were much happier with the results.

[RMR]: As an all-female group, do you feel that you have a responsibility to present your music from a specific gender angle?

{KS}: no.

[RMR]: Are you tired of people saying your sound derived from The Cure, The Smiths, and Joy Division? Are there more apt comparisons to be made?

{KS}: i'm not tired of it. readers need a reference point
and those bands are great. listeners are smart enough
to decide for themselves.

[RMR]: Is there an overall theme to Grab that Gun?

{KS}: i suppose there are three: love, death, and
loneliness.

[RMR]: At which times was the process of writing and recording the album difficult and, conversely, which points was the process easy?

{KS}: the whole thing was difficult. in that it had to be
done twice, none of it was easy.

[RMR]: Is Chad Kroeger a nice guy?

{KS}: i'm not sure. i met him once at a bar and that night is a blur.

[RMR]: I read that you can’t write music on the road because you’re listening to it. What musicians have you been listening to lately?

{KS}: electralane, antony and the johnsons, scout niblett,
and the first cypress hill record.

[RMR]: Any guilty pleasures?

{KS}: i actually like the new backstreet boys single.

[RMR]: Do you plan on taking a break after touring on this album?

{KS}: no. we're not at the point in our careers where we can
afford to take breaks.

[RMR]: How different are the crowd personalities in Canada, the U.S., and Europe?

{KS}: as near as i can tell, our audiences are similar
everywhere.

[RMR]: Are Canadians smarter than Americans?

{KS}: despite popular belief, i would say no.

[RMR]: Are the Brits smarter than Americans?

{KS}: ah, no.

[RMR]: You think that Canada and the U.K. will ever form like Voltron (that would be pretty neat)?

{KS}: unfortunately, i doubt either of our countries will be
saving the world anytime soon but the thought is nice.

[RMR]: Finally, which superpower would you prefer: invisibility or flight? Why?

{KS}: flight would be hot! super hot! but they'd probably
lock me in a lab and probe me which isn't so
appealing. i'll take invisibility.

RMR Review: The Organ ~ Grab That Gun
Official Website: http://www.theorgan.ca