by Jamie Reysen

Canadian dance duo MSTRKRFT went on a bit of a hiatus after the 2009 release of Fist of God and its subsequent tour. This March, though, they surprised fans with free downloads of “Beards Again” and “Back in the USSA,” alluding to an album in the works.

I sat down with Jesse F. Keeler (JFK) and Alex Puodziukas (AL-P) before their July 8 set at Camp Bisco to find out what fans can expect from the next LP. Though they have yet to determine a release date or a title, JFK and Al-P have settled on a motif—no compromises.

“We’ve always tried to operate around the concept of ‘no compromises,’ but I think what’s completely different about the next batch of music we’re gonna make is that we’re in a position where we don’t have to compromise,” Puodziukas said. “So the music that we’re gonna make is going to be very pure, very no nonsense, to paraphrase, ‘fuck you’ music.”

“Well yeah, ‘fuck you’ to everyone who’s not a fan,” Keeler added.

The next album will be MSTRKRFT’s third full-length album, and Keeler said it’s time to make the most honest music they possibly can.

“We are the Rush and Steely Dan of dance music,” Keeler said. “Those are two weirdo bands, and the thing about them is that they just continued to make the music they wanted to make, whether or not they were popular and whether or not people paid attention. At a certain point, it didn’t matter because they had these awesome fans who would go and buy every record and see every show and always be there and always be interested.

“So the best way to describe the next record is that it’s just for the fans and everybody else can go fuck themselves, it doesn’t matter,” Keeler said. “I think that’s the best thing to give the people who have been so loyal to us for such a long time.”