After having released their fourth album entitled The Place I Left Behind this summer, Canadian alt-country band the Deep Dark Woods are making their way through Manitoba, first with a stop at the West End Cultural Centre on Sept. 15, followed by an engagement at the Clearwater Harvest Moon Festival Sept. 16.

Already receiving some quality airtime at many college/university stations, the new album boasts a sound that marks a certain evolution in the band’s sound.

“We recorded [The Place I Left Behind] last fall in Halifax. We produced it ourselves and that’s the first time we’ve done that,” said DDW drummer Lucas Goetz.

Not only was it the first time the band produced their own album, it was also the first time they’ve recorded with new band member, organist and pianist Geoff Hilhorst. When compared to their early recordings, says Goetz, it’s easy to see the areas where the band has grown and changed since its inception back in 2005.

“The first couple [albums] we did in a day just because we had a budget and that’s what we had to do. But you can definitely hear it, our song writing has changed, our singing has changed for the better I would say. You know, over time you just become better musicians too.”

As for the band’s Saskatchewan roots, it appears a common misconception the Deep Dark Woods consider themselves makers of prairie music.

“A lot of people make that connection,” says Goetz, “but I’ve never really felt that we do that. There are some songs from our last album Winter Hours that people seem to relate with a kind of Canadian, prairie type of experience, but I don’t think we ever specifically set out to do that with our music.”

Tickets for the show at the West End Cultural Centre can be purchased in-person at the WECC, 586 Ellice Avenue, or online at ticketmaster.ca. Tickets for the Harvest Moon Festival can be purchased at both Organic Planet, 877 Westminster Ave, and Mondragon Bookstore & Coffeehouse, 91 Albert St.