Ten Second Epic Gets Better Off

Youthink talks to Ten Second Epic on the eve of their Canadian tour.

This September, Edmonton rockers Ten Second Epic released their third album, Better Off. Right before the guys took off for Newfoundland to kick-start their Canadian tour, Youthink got the opportunity to talk to the band’s talented lead vocalist, Andrew Usenik (pictured far right) to talk about the new record, collaborating with synth-pop star Lights and how they’ve managed to stay together for nearly a decade.

YT: How would you describe your new album, Better Off?

AU: I would say it’s really true to our sound. I think this is probably our most raw album; it’s our most lively and energetic sounding. We took a lot of steps this time when we did the record and we wanted to make sure that this record sounded like our live show.


YT: How has Canadian culture had an impact on your music?

AU: We’re five guys from Edmonton, which is obviously a very blue-collar city… there’s an attitude about people here. I think we write a lot of our songs about growing up in that time and society and really fighting for everything you want, so I think lyrically the message is there.


YT: How supportive were your parents when you chose music as a career?

AU: My parents both came from farms in Saskatchewan and they had no musical background… they weren’t against it, but it was foreign territory to them. It helped that when the band first started, I was still going to university and until things took off I continued going to university and I did get my degree eventually... so I think they were happy about that for sure.


YT: You collaborated with Lights on the track, Every Day. How was that?

AU: Working with Lights was awesome. We’ve actually been friends for years and years. It’s funny, we decided to do a song together before her first record and by the time the song actually got released… in that year and a half, she became the biggest thing in the country. I still think the world of her as a musician, so it’s cool to see both of us starting at, for lack of a better term, from nothing, and after a few long hard years, standing on top of the mountain together, looking back on the journey.


YT: You’ve had the same five members since your first EP. How have you made that work?

AU: We’ve got five guys together who love doing this... we’re lucky we’ve ended up in a band together.