DOUR On Debut Album ‘AGORA’, Community And The Vancouver Scene

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Following the release of DOUR’s debut album ‘AGORA,’ we chat to Zak Salehian, the band’s creative driving force

DOUR are a gloomwave band from Vancouver, sitting somewhere between post-punk, art-rock and shoegaze. Their debut album ‘AGORA’ is a wholly reflective piece that asks pertinent questions around our autonomy of thought and ability to reason in the face of manipulative models existing within social media and other algorithmic platforms. 

Prior to ‘AGORA’’s release, I met virtually with lead vocalist and creative force behind the band, Zak Salehian. An ‘AGORA’ refers to a central public gathering in ancient Greek cities. The name was happened upon accidentally by Zak who spoke to me about how he wanted people to feel a sense of community as they listened to the album. We spoke about that, the scene in Vancouver, the DIY production techniques used to craft the record and more below. 

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Where did that shoegazey, gloomwave style come from? Were those styles always the vision for the band? 

There was never a vision, as such. I was just trying to build my sound over the years with my pedal rig and stuff like that. I tried out a bunch of different things, swapped out a bunch of other different things and then I settled on a sound that I really liked. It was never a distinct decision that was made when it came to songwriting, at all. I just started moving in this direction and when I found my bandmates, at the time, we started making music together and I kind of decided to develop a style that I felt comfortable with. I just kind of ran with it. 

How would you describe Vancouver’s underground scene? 

The underground scene is pretty cool. It is kind of small. But the youth culture is really good amongst ourselves. But when it comes to the city itself Vancouver is like a very business-oriented place. There’s kind of like a huge divide when it comes to the youth and the adults or the rich part of the city. They kind of dictate and control the art spaces and the venues that we have, and which ones can operate. Which, of course, is frustrating for us and all artists in Vancouver. 

We actually just lost another one and we basically lose one every year. But then every now and then another one will pop up and it’ll hang around for a while. Right now, finally, the scene is kind of fighting back. We’re really trying to get a petition signed through this organisation called Cope. It’s been set up to try and get artist spaces back in Vancouver and alleviate some of the requirements needed for these spaces to operate. 

DOUR’s debut album ‘AGORA‘ has quite a few themes embedded in it. One of those themes in particular is the idea of living in tyranny and from living screen to screen. Was there a moment at the beginning of crafting this record when you knew these were going to be the themes that stitch ‘AGORA‘ together? 

I didn’t actually understand, or realise, in the moment when most of those songs were coming together what I was feeling. Looking back now, what I was experiencing was psychological manipulation through media. I started to realise what was going on with me and the way it was affecting my relationships with the people that I care about and the way it was having an impact on them. I began maybe halfway through the record’s creation to realise that those themes were where I was going with it.

The record is trying to bring awareness to the colonisation of the mind and the psychological warfare that is being waged upon humanity in this modern day. But, also trying to bring it back to the individual and how it affects them personally. 

Where did the name ‘AGORA’ come from and why did it stick? 

Honestly, I have no idea. I was with the band one day and I was thinking of record names with them and I just said the word without realising that it was a word or what it meant. Maybe I read it somewhere. Afterwards I looked up what it meant and thought ‘this is actually perfect’. 

It’s a beautiful meaning for this record. I wanted it to feel like a place for people who feel misunderstood to come and meet each other. It was like an accident which was the same for the band name. 

The artwork for ‘AGORA‘ is so wonderfully haunting, who did the artwork? 

I went to a flea market here in Vancouver and there’s always this vendor who has hundreds and thousands of old photos from the late 1800s, early 1900s. I was sifting through a bunch of those and basically found the picture. And that was it. I knew it was exactly what I wanted.

This record is so funny because there’s no distinct reason or preconceived idea. The record was manifested off purely what was going on in moments in my life.

What was the recording process like for ‘AGORA‘? Did you have many reference points, in terms of records that you were listening to during that time that influenced you? 

I would say, at the time, it was a lot of Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division as well. But I wanted to bring an updated perspective to that kind of sound, in terms of production. That’s why it’s not as stripped back as those records are. It was a lot of trial and error on my end because I was new to it all. I recorded and mixed the whole thing myself, except when it came to the drums we went to a studio. But everything else, vocals, guitars, or whatever it was, we did that on our own terms in our own rehearsal space. 

‘Neophiliac‘ is such a fantastic name for the first track of the album. Why did it make sense for that track to go first? 

I think it really sets the tone. It’s a bit more on the nose than the rest of the record is, I would say. And I just love that song and we just thought that that song was the best opening that fit the record. 

‘Towers‘ is a really cinematic track. It’s got an almost operatic feel to it. Was there a moment when you recorded the track that you decided to build this thing up to make it as big as possible? 

When it came to recording any of these songs I didn’t have much help. It wasn’t something any of the other lads did. I was the only one who went to school for recording, so I would have to try things and see if they liked it and then move with them and show them my process and show them how the sounds could shift. 

‘Just enough rice’ is a lovely bookend to the album and it snaps shut on all the tracks on show. What do you hope people take away from the album when that final track rolls around?

The thing that I want people to take away is empowerment. I know the record is quite depressing throughout, in terms of subject matter. But it’s not supposed to bring anyone down or make them feel like they’re not doing enough for themselves. The record is there to try to bring awareness to a certain situation that they may be struggling with. 

When we’re talking about psychological manipulation and totalitarianism, it’s not something that used to be done in a way that was so blatantly obvious. It’s months of coercion and algorithms influencing you and it may not be something that you consciously realise at first. But you may get to a point where you’re wasting so much time and are feeling or thinking a certain way that you never used to. 

So by the end of the record, I want to try and influence change and bring people back to the way they used to be before all those things started becoming an influence in our lives. The record wants to bring people back to basics and that’s why I like the name ‘AGORA‘ so much for it too. 

Have you noticed a change in your personal circles in the way that people are thinking potentially as a result of social media? 

Definitely. However, people are more aware of things when it comes to government overreach and societal control. That’s why my tone is shifting now that ‘AGORA‘ is finished. I’m starting the next record with an anger and a frustration. Because we’ve allowed it to get to this point and we have to be responsive and accountable to that too. 

With Gabe Jacob Ferman’s sad passing, the bassist of the band, how important was it to you when you were cutting this record that none of his parts were changed? 

I didn’t really see anything needing to be changed and, honestly, I kind of felt like it shouldn’t be touched. We did it the way we did and it came out the way it did. I felt it would have been so wrong to try and make a decision for someone who is not here to say otherwise. I like the way it came out. 

Do you see the tracks on ‘AGORA‘ taking a new form when you come to play them live? 

Yeah. They’ve changed a bit but not drastically. If anything we’re working toward trying to make it sound more like the actual record. ‘AGORA‘ has lots of layers in the tracks that I would really like to play live and we’re just figuring out how to do those in the best way. 

What has this record taught you about yourself and has your connection to these songs strengthened or changed from making them to now? 

Pre-album launch I would say you don’t have as much appreciation for it, because you’re in the process of making it. But now it’s out I’ve come to appreciate them a lot more. In terms of my connection to it, as a whole, I feel like I did exactly what I wanted to do when it came to the themes and the concepts. And I think that for the time I was making it, it does reflect how I was feeling and the way that the world was, in my eyes. I hope it still stands and connects with people now even though the world has become so latent, as of late. 

If you could add one non-DOUR song to your live set or the record itself, what would it be and why? 

Honestly, this might be a weird one, but I would say ‘English Rose‘ by The Jam. It’s returning to centre with that track in particular. Things like understanding the chaos of the world, feeling and living the chaos around you and then coming back to centre with the people that you love. ‘Mundies’ does that for me too. 

Who are you listening to at the moment? 

I would say lots of Drahla, Enola Gay and Just Mustard too. I saw them when they came through here a few weeks ago and I got to talk to them all. 

What’s next for DOUR? 

We’re starting to work on the next record now and we have a few festivals coming up this summer. The past couple of months has been navigating what I want the next record to look like. There is a lot of self-reluctance in the first record and trying to be patient in that regard. But, with this next one, I want to go to a place where I don’t have much patience anymore and put something together that points fingers of the things going on in your own head; maybe that stop you from getting where you need to get to. It’s about being more stark and with that comes growing pains and frustration. 

Read our review of ‘AGORA‘ here.

Listen to ‘AGORA’ here:

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