Winnipeg-based band, The Love Letters, consists of members Nathaniel Muir (lead vocals), Adam Yarish (rhythm guitar and keyboards), Joe Lezak (bass), Ben Schmidt (lead guitar) and Ricky Rusk (drums).
While the group has been active since 2023, the lineup wasn’t finalized until 2024. The members met through mutual connections and had each been involved in Winnipeg’s music scene before coming together.
“Me and Ben went to high school together, me and Adam knew each other as children,” said Muir. “It’s built up. We just met Joe through friends, met Ricky through just the music scene, and we all just found each other.”
“It was kind of like a slow snowballing,” Yarish added. “And then last year, everything sort of clicked, and we were like, ‘alright, let’s do it. We’ve got our final form.’”
The Love Letters describe their music as primarily rock, though they incorporate elements of funk, pop and folk. “Rock and roll” remain at the core of their sound.
Their creative process is organic, with songs usually originating from a single idea.
“Usually, it’s an idea, especially like a vocal or another idea that comes from Nathaniel,” Lezak explained. “And then we kind of just sit down and we just jam it together, we just play around with it and we just find what feels right.”
“It’s very collaborative,” Muir added. “It starts with one person, but a lot of people add their own little flavour to it and we do a lot of jamming too, just playing random stuff, and then listening back and seeing little moments that we like.”
So far, highlights of their career include playing at Festival du Voyageur, opening for Attica Riots at the Park Theatre, and releasing their first single, “Movie Star,” in September 2024. A music video, filmed in various Winnipeg locations, premiered on YouTube shortly after.
“That was the first one that we recorded in the studio together, and it was our first time recording live off the floor as a group, which was something that we’d been talking about for a long time,” said Yarish. “So, it was really satisfying to do that, and for it to kind of work […] It all just kind of clicked.”
“To release a song and have people know the words, and sing them back, is one of the coolest feelings ever,” added Muir. “We did a release show for it, and there were people who knew the words, and we were like, ‘oh, that’s so cool.’”
The Love Letters followed up “Movie Star” with their latest single, “Valentine,” which was fittingly released on Feb. 14. Muir and Yarish co-wrote the song — a first for them, as they usually write lyrics separately.
“I think it has a fun, early Beatles vibe to it,” Yarish said of the song. “We’re all huge fans of the Beatles, and that was sort of a thought we had with this song, [to give it that] fun, early 60s pop sound.”
When asked what they love most about being in a band, the members emphasized their connection with each other.
“It’s just so much fun […] it’s just a dream come true, to get to do what I’ve always wanted to do, with my best friends,” Lezak said. Muir agreed, saying, “everything you’re doing, there’s a sense of camaraderie, and you’re not doing really anything by yourself.”
The Love Letters plan to release a music video for “Valentine” soon and plan to release singles steadily throughout the year. They also have upcoming Winnipeg performances on March 14 and June 21.
The group closed by expressing their love for Winnipeg’s music scene.
“It’s just definitely worth telling people just to get out and see some bands, because there’s just so many here, so many great artists […] even people who have left here and come back have talked about how special the Winnipeg music scene is. It’s so tight-knit and so close,” said Muir.
“It feels like we’re entering a really good era for it,” added Yarish. “It’s a really great time for live music in Winnipeg.”
The Love Letters’ latest single, “Valentine,” is now streaming on Apple Music and Spotify. For information on upcoming events and releases, visit theloveletters.ca or follow them on Instagram @lovelettersband.
