I came across this band a few weeks ago while scouring the internet for some new tunes. Instantly, I loved their sound. Being from Winnipeg, they struck a cord and I couldn’t not write about them. So take a look at my interview with Daniel of FINN and get to know a little more about the band.

Three brothers from Winnipeg, Daniel, John and Matthew Baron, have taken their unique friendship and musical talents to craft one of the best musical acts to come out of the prairies: FINN. After pairing with guitarist Darren Hebner and drummer Cody Iwasiuk in the bands early stages, the five-member setup found a sound that is comparable to the slick alterna-rock of Young the Giant and Band of Horses. With the unique sound heard on their EP, the brothers had no trouble securing a spot at The Dakota Tavern for Canadian Music Week on May 6th. With CMW quickly approaching, Daniel took some time to explain the bands great dynamic.

“John and Matt and I have a unique relationship. We tend not to quarrel with each other but keep the spirits of the band up. The blood harmonies really add to our sound and we try to capitalize on that,” Daniel said. The band’s beginning took place in 2013. While John was away at school in Brandon [Manitoba], Matt and Daniel began exploring different music genres. After reviewing a few writing sessions between the two brothers, John’s participation from a distance ended when he joined the collaboration with Hebner and Iwasiuk.

“For a few months, there was a furry of emails and ideas back and fourth. John had some of his best friends and classmates at Brandon University’s Music School listen to some of the tracks that myself and Matt were working on and they were interested in joining in,” Daniel said. In the fall of 2013, FINN began rehearsing and soon their first professionally recorded single Cold Comfort was released. The small-town vibe that Winnipeg has to offer has is heard in their relaxed yet complex sound.

“Our music has gone through a shift. Most of our EP are riddled with existential metaphors, historical references and references to landmarks such as the infamous Red River. Now we are trying to focus on writing music that reflects personal experiences,” said Daniel Baron.

Some of the biggest influences in their music come from another local band Royal Canoe, but the band has a wide variety of influences from artists like Local Natives and Father John Misty. The lyrics of FINN are intricate, well written and the band’s harmony is smooth. Once you hear them play, all you want is to keep listening to the “down-home” folk music that while being so familiar, has its own sound. With a full-length album being planned, they praise Winnipeg’s small-town vibes for aiding their overall progression. In a city where “everybody knows everybody”, Daniel enjoys the fact that the drawback of performing in a smaller city can also be what the band needs.

“Playing music in a small city like Winnipeg is incredibly forgiving. A city like Winnipeg allows you to fall on your face and learn a lesson from it,” he said. “That gives us the practice we need at our showmanship abilities. Also, we have benefited greatly from the fact that Winnipeg is ‘like a small town’ in that it is not impossible to connect personally with promoters and other musicians.” With the prairie boys only growing stronger and an array of songs being written for their first studio album, they have decided to change up their sound. Daniel explains that the album will have a lighter sound with more of a “story oriented” feel rather than the focus on the existentialist themes heard in their EP.

“We thought that we needed to lighten up a bit,” Daniel started. “We are well on our way to start recording our full length album. We have a handful of songs and ideas we have been working on since December and we are getting really excited to start recording.”