Men Without Hats founder and vocalist Ivan Doroschuk caught up with SWOMP to discuss their career and their upcoming show at Caesars Windsor on February 8, 2024.
With iconic chart-topping smash hits, ‘The Safety Dance’ and ‘Pop Goes The World’, Men Without Hats have been at the forefront of popular electronic music since their formation in 1978.
The group boasts 31 million views on YouTube, 1.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, 81.6 thousand followers on Bandsintown, and 600 thousand monthly listeners on Apple Music.
Recently, the group released two new albums, Again (Part 1) and Again (Part 2).
Part 1 is an album of covers that pays tribute to The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, and The Tragically Hip.
It also brings a wonderful twist on the band’s classic hit ‘The Safety Dance’ with the song ‘No Friends Of Mine’.
Part 2 features wonderfully constructed original music with a heavy nod to the synth-pop and new-wave roots of the bands.
An innovative, synth-pop masterpiece showcasing the band’s versatile strong songwriting & unique style, Again (Part 2) features the first single “If The World Should End Today” & includes 14 new tracks full of memorable hooks, melodies, and infectious rhythms that honour both the 80’s roots of the group and cutting-edge technology of today.
These albums mark the beginning of a new phase in the career of Men Without Hats, following the induction of “The Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World” into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. Founding members Ivan and Colin Doroschuk are joined by renowned Canadian guitarist & producer Sho Murray. The albums were recorded in their studio on Vancouver Island where the Doroschuk brothers have lived for the past two decades, since moving from their hometown of Montreal.
“Recording these discs was a magical experience. We set up our own studio in a mountain-top home overlooking the Pacific Ocean on Vancouver Island and spent seven months in total isolation making music from sunrise to sunset, with only a family of 13 peacocks as company. Some of the songs are new, some were written over the last 10 years on the road doing demos in the back of the tour bus, and some were written in the 80s and never recorded until now. The new albums represent a clear window into where the band is creatively at this point, as well as a great preview of things to come” said vocalist Ivan Doroschuk.
More details can be found at on their official website https://www.safetydance.com/.