Back to square one but Lillix is loving it

Releasing their major-label debut on Madonna’s Maverick Records in 2003, things were looking downright cheery for British Columbia band Lillix. They toured the world selling a respectable 500,000 units worldwide before resurfacing in 2006 with their new-wave inspired sophomore record Inside The Hollow. That record’s first single “Sweet Temptation” was one of the best pop songs of 2006 and was recognized as such by Blender Magazine. But even with this positive momentum behind them, factors beyond their control were at work behind the scenes:

Not long after the release of Inside The Hollow, their record label Maverick shut down effectively halting all promotional activities behind the record.

So how did Tasha-Ray Evin and her sister Lacey deal with such news? They wrote a song.

“There was a lot happening around that time that was so discouraging,” Tasha-Ray tells TMC from Maple Ridge, BC last month. “Maverick closed down and then we lost our other two band members when they decided that they couldn’t wait around for something else to happen with the band.

“But I remember heading to the back of the bus with Lacey and we just got to writing right away. With all the other stuff going on, it was such a liberating thing to be free of that label.”

Lillix’s new record Tigerlilly is independently released but has distribution throughout Canada via Fontana North, effectively ensuring that their record is in stores. The indie life ain’t so bad as far as Tasha-Ray is concerned, in fact she is loving it.

“It is excellent – Lacey and I know exactly who we are hiring and know that we can trust those people to look out for our best interests. When we were signed to Maverick, we were more-less puppets.”

Asked whether Evin considers Tigerlilly to be a second phase of Lillix’s career or a continuation of the first, she sides with the former.

“We called the record Tigerlilly as that was our band name before Lillix. When we first started playing music, I was 11 years old and Lacey was 13 and it was all about having fun. It seems as though we have gotten back to that point in our careers now.”