Some of the songs are brand new, some were written over the past 10 years on the road, making demos in the back of the tour bus, and some were written way back in the ’80s and never recorded until now. “Recording this record was an almost magical experience, we put together our own studio in a house high up in the mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean on Vancouver Island and spent seven months in total isolation making music from sunrise to sundown, with only a family of 13 peacocks for company. The decision to make an EP of covers was intended to offer a glimpse of some of the (perhaps unlikely) artists that have been longtime MWH favourites. With founding members Ivan and Colin Doroschuk now joined full-time by guitarist Sho Murray, the group recorded Again (Part 1)-along with the forthcoming all-original Again (Part 2)-throughout the last half of 2020 at its studio on Vancouver Island where the Doroschuk brothers have resided for over 20 years since moving from their hometown of Montreal.

On September 24, MWH will release Again (Part 1), a five-song EP featuring covers of Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie, along with an all-new reimagined version of the group’s signature hit “The Safety Dance,” reimagined as “No Friends of Mine” and available as a single on August 25.Īgain (Part 1) marks the beginning of yet another phase of MWH’s storied career, coming on the heels of both “The Safety Dance” and 1987’s “Pop Goes the World” being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.

After over four decades, Canada’s legendary electro-pop band Men Without Hats (MWH) is still going strong, and still taking its trademark sound to unexpected places.

Men without hats the safety dance dance