Q+A with Southpacific
We dip back into the late 90s and hear from Southpacific in this Q+A.
A Canadian three-piece that started out in Ottawa in 1997, Southpacific defies categorisation with moodscapes that seem to call on space rock, shoegaze and psych-tinged sounds. Band members Joachim Toelke (guitar), Phil Stewart-Bowes (bass) and Graeme Fleming (drums) explain how they’ve always brought diverse influences together in the same room to develop music that feels right - “technical sparks” and emotions, fusing into a thicker and heavier layer of sound and mood. We touch on all three of their releases, including the 25th anniversary reissue of their album Constance. They also recommend a few killer Canadian bands to check out. But first, where did their name come from?
How did the band get its name?
Joachim: We didn’t know what to call ourselves - Southpacific was kind of inspired by escapism from the long, dark, cold Canadian winters in Ottawa where it can feel very bleak. The idea that there are other places out there with a vast, different climate and reality, was appealing. I think the idea came from the unreleased Verve track on a mix-tape I had- at the time they had broken up as far as I knew so it was a nice obscure reference…except that they reformed and became super famous!
Radar Road EP (2023)
Given most of the band’s work has been instrumental, how did you end up with two songs with vocals on the Radar Road EP?
Graeme: We had one track with vocals before—Built to Last—and when it landed on the Constance track list, we treated the voice like another instrument, just another texture in the mix. We’ve never had a strict playbook for our sound; it’s all about what feels right. So when the mixes for “Breakdown” and “For Years” started coming together, vocals just fit the mood. It wasn’t planned—it was organic, like the songs called for it.
I’m curious about the image on the cover - where is the tower located in real life? Or is it?
Graeme: It’s actually inspired by a real radar tower near the ski chalet where we recorded our first album, 33. There’s a road that winds up to the top of the ski hill where the tower sits—we drove up there, and that whole experience stuck with us. It felt iconic, so it became the album title and later the cover image.
“For Years” was included on an early episode of blank mood - is there a story about this song?
Graeme: It’s about obsession. Searching for validation, self-worth or reinvention, and whether the effort was worth it in the end.
Did the EP bring you new fans from the current “shoegaze revival”?
Joachim: We’ve always been a bit obscure and under the radar, so our fans seem to come from everywhere. It’s nice that there’s been a shoegaze revival because a lot of music from that early 90s era was overlooked, and now people are taking some of those ideas and expanding on them or pushing them into different directions, let alone totally new ones.
Constance (1999)
You released a 25th anniversary LP edition of the album Constance this year. What’s something different as far as design of the LP vs the original CD?
Phil: It was important for us to mark the anniversary of the album, and people had been asking us about a vinyl pressing for years, so it made sense to finally make it happen. One issue was that we don’t have the assets for the original CD design, so we had to recreate the cover art for vinyl - and what Jake [ed. designer Jacob Bryce] did with the updated cover is amazing. As far as the tracklisting goes, the album was not sequenced with vinyl in mind, but it just so happened that the original CD tracklist fit comfortably across 4 sides. It just all worked out and came together.
How has the re-release been received? Have you met old and new fans?
Phil: People that have bought the vinyl so far seem to like it. Noah Mintz did a great job with the remastered audio, we’re happy with how the album sounds on vinyl. We met a lot of amazing people over the shows we played in the fall - some older fans that saw us play during our first run, and many newer fans that thought they might never get the chance to see us play. It’s been gratifying to play our music live for people again.
Sun13 described Southpacific and Constance as “soundscapes for the aloof”. I would say your songs tend to be beautifully moody. What do you draw on for your creative process? Natural surroundings? Emotions? Experiences? Something else?
Graeme: We see our music as being layered with different perspectives. A song idea might start from a technical spark or an emotional thought from one member, but it rarely stays in that original form. It gets twisted, reinterpreted, and reshaped as everyone adds their own context. That’s why our tracks often feel like overlays of different levels—emotions, experiences, and surroundings all colliding into something bigger than the sum of its parts. I can see where our music satisfies the introspective listener.
What the story behind the song “E10 @182”?
Graeme: It’s the preset and tempo of the drum machine that you hear throughout the song. Sorry, not very exciting.
I think I’ve read that you have not promoted the Radar Road EP and Constance re-release heavily. Was that intentional or related to lack of time or interest in promotional activities? Has that been a liberating choice? I talk to a lot of bands who struggle with the promotions side of things, so in a way it seems like it could be a relief to focus on the music. Any thoughts on what is involved with promotions now vs in the past?
Phil: As far as promo goes, I think we did what we could in each case. With the Radar Road EP, it was originally supposed to come out in 2020 when we released “Depths” as a single, but then the COVID pandemic hit just after. We had potential plans to release the five tracks as singles and also to play some shows that same year, but our plans were derailed. When we finally got to release it as an EP in 2023, I think by that point the goal was just to get the music out and let people hear it.
For the Constance re-release, we had more time to plan the vinyl pressing and to rehearse for live shows. We are a completely independent band at this point, so all promo effort comes down to us.
33 EP (1998)
Your first EP, 33, came out in 1998, about the time the space rock scenes around Michigan and Philadelphia became popular with college radio in the US. Did you see yourselves connected to any of those bands or scenes?
Phil: I don’t think we’ve ever connected strongly with any particular scene. We each have distinctive taste in music, so at the time of 33 and Constance, we were each listening to different music that informed and influenced our individual playing styles, and then how we meshed together in the band. We were never trying to emulate anyone nor sound like any other band per se.
I love the bass-forward lure of some of the songs on 33, a bit melancholy but with space to think as well as feel. If this would have crossed my path back then, I would have fallen in love with it. Was there anything special about that time that went into these songs that you couldn’t replicate today?
Phil: I think the structure and sound of some of the songs on 33 and Constance was just the result of the three of us playing together in a room, with many of the songs emerging organically. With the emphasis on the texture of Joachim’s and Graeme’s guitars, it leaves room in the songs for the bass to stand out as a little more of a thematic or even melodic focus. I’ve always liked a bassline that could get stuck in your head, that pulls the listener in to the song.
Aside from the general psych/space rock sound of the time, I hear other things in these songs. “Interconnect” and “Life Illusion” makes me think of early Interpol and “Reverbium” reminds me of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer”… have you heard other associations that have made you laugh (or cry)? What music did you all grow up with?
Phil: That’s an interesting comparison. I like that different people might hear other similarities between our music and more obscure or maybe unlikely reference points. I’ve been a music fan all my life - I got KISS Destroyer when I was 7 years old, then I was into bands like The Smiths, The Cure, The Fixx, Simple Minds, R.E.M. and others in the 80’s, then of course shoegaze and American indie in the late ‘80’s/early ‘90’s. It’s just continued from there.
Joachim: The diversity of music in the small town where I grew up was limited. I moved to Lyon, France when I moved away from home, and recorded a bunch of mixed cassettes of CFNY radio from Toronto the weekend I left (people said you could avoid homesickness while living overseas by listening to familiar things like radio from back home). Those mix tapes were fantastic. In Lyon, there was a radio show on France Inter called “Stop 50” (or maybe “Passez les bornes, y’a plus de limites”?) which played alternative British music late at night- Slowdive, Stone Roses, House of Love, Manic Street Preachers, etc. I taped a lot of it, but missed or misunderstood the band names so it became a hunt and obsession at record shops for the next years to figure out who the artists were on my mix tapes and what the songs were called.
It’s nice to hear some of our stuff reminds you of Interpol and Neil Young- that’s a compliment! I don’t think they are influences though.
Music moves so fast now compared to the past! How did you connect with other bands or discover music outside of your local area in the late 90s?
Phil: For me in high school it came down to what my friends were listening to, what was being playing on the local rock radio station, and also what videos were getting airtime on MuchMusic (the Canadian answer to MTV) at the time. Later on, in my late teens and in to my 20’s, I bought the NME (New Musical Express) weekly UK music paper - much of my taste during those years was directly influenced by what I was reading about.
Joachim: With Southpacific we tended to connect with other bands as friends we met at shows and at rehearsal studios. One of the best parts of being in a band is the interesting people you get to meet! People were always sharing CDs or recommending bands and artists to check out.
Others have already asked, but do you think 33 will see a re-issue?
Phil: It’s definitely on our to-do list, a 33 vinyl re-issue along with Radar Road on vinyl as well. I think it’s only a matter of time…
What are you all listening to at the moment? Do you have favourite albums or artists of 2025?
Phil: Recently I’ve been listening to mostly re-issues, often electronic or ambient music. The Polygon Window re-issue is great, as are the recent Seefeel re-issues from Too Pure. The new albums from The Orb, Cut Copy and Oneohtrix Point Never are also really good.
The best newer band I’ve listened to recently is The Fires of Cheektowaga. They played with us in Toronto – they are amazing live, and their new single “Slowburn” is really great. Everyone should give them a listen!
Joachim: I agree with Phil- we also played with Seaver from Montreal and they are great. We played with a load of inspiring bands on our recent shows who were fantastic.