What makes ‘Worn Down’ different from your past work?
Most of (if not all) of our past work was a collective group effort. Worn Down is a song I wrote alone in my room when I was not allowed to see my band, or anyone for that matter. The topic of the song is also a blunt and honest topic that Rarity has not covered very much. We usually talk about depression, anxiety, and overall mental health, but I have not really discussed anger. Something I find myself dealing with quite a bit. – Loeden Learn
Can you describe the concept behind the track?
Went into it a bit on the first question, but it is basically about letting personal demons and mental issues get in the way of an otherwise healthy loving relationship. It is about how anger can tear someone’s life apart. How mental health issues are only best understood by the people they belong to. It is a reminder to be patient. It is a reminder to think before you speak and try your best to be as approachable as you can be for the sake of yourself as well as everyone around you. – Loeden Learn
How would you describe your artistic evolution throughout your career?
Ever changing and growing. It has been nice to revisit bands I liked as a kid but did not fully grasp beyond them having “cool riffs.” Now that I have a significantly better understanding of what I am doing with my instrument, I can now harness the influences and create what I am hearing in my head. – Cole Gardner
What has been the biggest change in your life over the past year?
Being home for an extended period during COVID-19 with no tours to look forward to. It’s been a hard thing to adjust to as it’s not just playing shows I miss; a lot of our friends are spread out across North America so touring is a way we are able to see them. Not seeing your friends and family is a huge struggle. Other than the obvious COVID situation, I started wearing big pants. – Cole Gardner
What song by another artist do you wish you had written?
Rocket Man by Elton John. No contest, the best song ever written. – Cole Gardner
How did Rarity as a project first come together?
A couple lads wanted to play aggressive music and hang out. Now we hang out together professionally. – Cole Gardner
What would you consider your top contemporary influences?
My Chemical Romance, The Used, KoRn & Slipknot. Each band’s first two records are incredibly important to me and essential to my writing/performance/artistic style. Each record carried their respective scenes at the time. – Cole Gardner
Where did you first learn how to play your respective instruments?
Unfortunately, on stage in Ottawa during my first show with Rarity in 2016. – Cole Gardner
Is there a story behind why you started playing?
I wanted to be different from absolutely everyone in my area as a kid. I was really into skateboarding but was not progressing as much as I wanted to. I discovered metalcore in the 7th grade on YouTube and after that I just wanted to play live so badly. Having the ability to watch live sets as a kid on YouTube really made me want to be in front of a crowd to get that adrenaline high instead of continuing with skateboarding. We all thought we were going to be pro skaters, right? – Cole Gardner
And finally, where can readers keep up with what you are doing?
Twitter, baby! @rarityband
Instagram, baby! @raritytheband
– Cole Gardner
