The Weekend

The Weekend was a Canadian pop/rock band from London, Ontario, formed in 1998, by singer-songwriter Andrea Wasse (vocals) and Link C. (synthesizer). Wasse has co-written songs for Canadian Idol (2004), CTV series Instant Star, and Canadian pop/rocker Fefe Dobson, among others. With Dobson, Wasse co-wrote the Vines-inspired “Watch Me Move” and the ’70s-ish hard rocker “I’m a Lady” which appear on her 2010 album “Joy”. But, I first heard Wasse’s band when I watched the action/comedy (and lesbian romance) D.E.B.S. (2004) on DVD. The Weekend‘s song, “Into the Morning”, is used on the soundtrack, and the video for that song, with clips from the movie, is included as an extra on the DVD. Anyway, I fell for the silly movie, the song, and, in turn, the band.

The Weekend‘s first two albums offered juvenile pop/rock, heavy with a Cars-like synth, perfect for playing at a teenage girl’s sleepover. But, some of the songs were not without charm, like “Bring It On” and “80’s Popstar” (which is like a pop variation of Betty Blowtorch‘s “Big Hair, Broken Heart”) from the album Teaser + Bonus Level (2003). “Me vs. The World”, from the same album, was covered by pop/rockers Halo Friendlies for the soundtrack to the movie Freaky Friday (2003).

The Weekend‘s major debut, Beatbox My Heart (2005), toned down the synths a bit, which left a slightly more mature collection of good guitar-driven pop/rock, not unlike, well, Halo Friendlies, or Everlife. Three songs definitely stand out. The first, obviously, is the aforementioned first single, “Into the Morning”, which is an ode to innocent young love:

Breakin’ you out through your bedroom window
Sneakin’ you into my parents’ house
Stayin’ out all night, into the morning
Until the sun comes up and ruins it all

And, in the video, Wasse wears a schoolgirl uniform and Converse! Next is the second single, “Temporary Insanity”, which was covered by Alexz Johnson as her character Jude Harrison on the first season finale of the excellent CTV series, Instant Star (2004-5). Wasse also co-wrote the song “It Could Be You” for that same season. “Temporary Insanity” is a cool track about unexpectedly taking the relationship with your friend a step further and dealing with the consequences:

It’s temporary insanity
What going on with you and me
Is it real or is it fantasy?
Forever or just temporary?

And, finally, there’s my favorite track, “Pretty From the Outside”, which will have your foot tapping from the get go! This one’s about a free spirit begging to save her friend from her boring office drone life:

Honey if you wanna be free
You just gotta tell me
I’ll free you from the nine to five kind of life, pretty from the outside
Dragging your heels, just tell me how it feels
In your nine to five kind of life, pretty from the outside

My foot was tapping as I typed those lyrics. Oh, and “There Goes My Heart” and “Start It” are pretty cool tracks, too. Watch the videos for “Into The Morning” and “Temporary Insanity” here: