It has been a long few years leading up to the release of Default’s new record Comes and Goes. The Vancouver group’s record was supposed to have seen the light of day in the spring of 2008, however, the bankruptcy of their former label TVT slowed down the process considerably. All the band could do was to stand by to await the fate of their record to be decided by bankruptcy courts.
“We always knew we would come out ahead but it has definitely been a long haul,” Default drummer Danny Craig says from his new label’s office in Toronto. “We truly believed in the record and that it was something special. Deep down, we knew everything would eventually work out. We weren’t the happiest being signed to TVT anyway, so as prolonged as the situation was, we looked at it as a blessing in an odd way.”
Having formed in 1999, Default experienced a rather quick rise to fame in 2001 with their debut record. An association with Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger certainly didn’t hinder the group. Kroeger’s interest in the group led him to lend his support to the production of their debut album. The Fallout (2001) boasted high-charting singles Deny and Wasting My Time, the latter of which was a hit at both Canadian and American radio. A Juno for Best New Group followed in 2002, and The Fallout was certified platinum (one million copies sold) in the States in 2003.
Default’s subsequent albums, 2003’s Elocation and 2005’s One Thing Remains, continued to refine the melodic rock sound of their debut, even as their approach got heavier. The success the group found so early in their career wasn’t so plentiful with their subsequent two records, however.
Craig tells me that based on the success of their debut record, TVT assumed that Elocation would sell similarly without having to do much in the way of marketing the record. That didn’t turn out to be the case.
Craig tells me the fate of their third record was also doomed for failure, courtesy of TVT.
“TVT admitted rather matter-of-factly that they had simply dropped the ball on One Thing Remains. TVT were fully intending to release Comes and Goes as well and were actually really excited about the prospects of success they were hearing in the record,” Craig says.
TVT would never have a chance to show how genuinely excited and dedicated they were about Default’s new record though. In February 2008, the record label declared bankruptcy, which ultimately held the record in limbo for an extended period of time. The group weren’t even offered the option of buying their masters for the new record back from the company. All of TVT’s assets (recordings, masters, etc) ended up being auctioned off to an independent online distributor known as The Orchard. While waiting for the wheels to turn in regards to Comes and Goes finally seeing release, the band continued doing what they do best: playing shows to enthusiastic crowds. The group often journeyed away from home for shows on weekends while spending the rest of their week at home with their families.
“We had actually done that for the past couple of summers. All in all, it was a great schedule for us to maintain, especially having the chance to be at home and just hang out for the time we weren’t playing. Those shows helped pay our mortgages, thankfully!” Craig laughs.
Now that the hoopla in getting their new record has been resolved, the group will be undertaking an extensive Canadian tour with Three Days Grace and The Used starting in mid-November. Craig says the group is looking forward to getting back on the road and working on getting the rust out of their systems.
The group is also hoping to negotiate a US release for Comes and Goes before too long as well.
“We’re hoping that our record will see release in the US early in 2010,” Craig says. “We’re very fortunate in that we’ve built up a respectable fan base in the US with our first three records and we’ve got a lot of really great fans that are hungry for the new record to be released there.”
Default’s new record Comes and Goes is now available in stores and online.