ILLICIT is a rock band from the Ontario area of Canada. The band was started by vocalist/ guitarist Jordan Cantwell and drummer/vocalist Fadi Khoshaba in February 2017. After replying to a kijiji ad, guitarist Zak Taylor and bassist Dan Martin joined the group. Recently the band added third guitarist Jason Macdonald to the line-up making them a five piece. The five piece band instantly began performing music and released their first EP in May 2018 titled “Lost Days”. We listened to the electrifying record entitled “Lost Days” off their EP alongside watching the video, and we were highly impressed with the thrilling guitar riffs, refined drumming skills, and hypnotic vocals! The cleverly-written lyrics had this interesting contextual meaning behind it that studied the listener as much as we studied them! Around the 2:30 time measure of the song they give us an instrumental break that begins with a more subdued, muffled sound for a few seconds before the banging and explosive instruments all fuses together. Showcasing their badass caliber of guitar and drums, the track then transitions back into their enigmatic vocals that releases a string of sonic waves into our bodies! The balance between soft and bashful in dynamics were super trailblazing making “Lost Days” an incredible endlessly-playable hit!
Don't forget to check out "Lost Days" on Spotify, and scroll below for our exclusive interview with the band!
Tell us what inspired you to write “Lost Days”?
Jordan (Lead Vocals/Guitar): Musically I think the riff I had came out from listening to heavier tracks by bands like Stone Sour or even Heavier Nickelback songs. There some great riffs in that style of heavy rock music, so I just wanted to contribute to that. Lyrically the song talks about those days where you were just bummed out or not very optimistic.
Fadi (Lead Vocals/Drums): Lost Days is about time felt like you’ve lost from life passing by so quickly. Feeling like you get older the longer you stress.
Zak (Guitarist): Well Jordan wrote the chorus and I took some time to come with a good idea as a separate riff to compliment the main riff.
JASON (Guitarist): I was impressed by the eccentricities of the songs written when I joined the band.
Dan (Bass/Vocals):What inspired me was the prospect of the whole recording process. The recording inspired me to write it something interesting.
When creating the video to “Lost days” what was the overall vision and storyline you aimed to present?
Fadi: The overall direction of the shoot was kind of unknown to us throughout working with Nick Iden because of how spontaneous the project was. By the end of the ideas and recordings, we tied it to the song.
Dan: We knew we wanted to have some sort of a chase scene from the start though.
Jordan: It was really fun to get chased around by all the dudes in the band and I also I enjoyed falling in the dirt for a scene or two. I think that I would make to be a decent action star.
Tell us a little bit about the EP and what we can expect from it?
Jordan: You can definitely expect a little more experimental approach to what we’re working on compared to what we first released. We’re messing around and creating our own personality to the songs. We have grown so much as far as our writing goes. One thing that hasn’t changed is our sense of humour. We’re still not funny.
Jason: As we’re practising, we’re experimenting. I’m excited to hear how the songs are going to be from starting to finishing a track. Ian and APE Audio is wicked to work with and I know how these songs will turn out and even more excited to play it live.
Dan: What you can expect are some really flushed out songs with super catchy choruses. I would also say some straight bangers!
Zak: It’s more of a polished writing style then the first E.P we’ve done.
Do you guys face any challenges in creating music that fits each member’s expectations and vision for the band?
Jordan: My main goal when I write songs is that I just want to write a cool and catchy song that stick in your head. A tune that you remember for days whether it’s a poppy or a heavy tune. I think we all share the same goal as far as that goes but we all add our own style to the song idea and we’ll riff it out in the practise room.
Jason: For me personally, I don’t think we have any obstacles. Each of our taste very to each person so we all bring something different to the table when creating something new. One obstacle we might face is trying to get all of our ideas organized for the songs.
Fadi: There are barriers and challenges every band has to face when dealing with what each member play. The writing process for me is about expressing yourself in the ideas you bring to the table to create what you’d love as music.
Dan: I would say no. It doesn’t seem very different to write music everybody likes. We're compatible that way.
Zak: It can though be a struggle to balance the three guitars.
What's next for you through 2019?
Jordan: I just want to get our music out there to as many people as possible.
Jason: Aside from the E.P, playing as many shows as we possibly can and getting a lock down on merch.
Dan: Lots of show presence. Playing a lot of shows. New and different music.
Fadi: Other than great music, the possibility of a sexy photoshoot for a calendar.
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