'Happy surprise': Two members of The Watchmen reunite for new album

Watchmen's Serlin and Greaves release music as duo Daniel Greaves previews his new album with fellow Watchmen member Joey Serlin set for release on May 28.

WINNIPEG — Two members of the Juno-nominated band The Watchmen have reunited for a new album years after the band made the decision to go their separate ways.

Joey Serlin and Daniel Greaves are founding members of The Watchmen, a band that first came together in Winnipeg more than 30 years ago. Now the duo known as Serlin Greaves is releasing an album titled ‘Sad Songs for Sale,’ which comes out on May 28.

Greaves, who is the lead vocalist, said though making the album was a “great” process it was also accidental.

“We’ve been making music for decades and decades obviously,” he told CTV News Winnipeg on Wednesday.

“It was just like ‘Hey man, do you want to sing on some of my stuff?’ and then it was ‘Hey, do you want to play on some of mine?’ We just kind of put our heads together.”

Greaves said he wasn’t expecting to make an album, but once the pair got to the end of the process, they realized they had created something special.

“It was just one of those really authentic experiences that was a really happy surprise at the end,” he said.

THE NEW MUSIC

Greaves said the songs on ‘Sad Songs for Sale’ will remind fans of their old music.

“I think that’s a good thing,” he said. “I have nothing but pride for the work that we did."

However, he said the pair has grown up and changed, and that growth is reflected in the music.

“Things change and music has a way of coming along for the rides, so a lot of the things that we may have written about 20 years ago, it just feels a bit different now because we have more years under our belt and hopefully experience,” Greaves said.

TEENAGE HEART

The first single off the album, called ‘Teenage Heart,’ is about online connection, youth growing up in the digital age, and their emotions and experiences. Serlin Greaves use the lyric video for the song to raise awareness for Kids Help Phone Line.

Greaves said he doesn’t know if the song initially started off being about youth mental health, but when they got to the end, it just spoke to the issue.

“I mean, we have teenagers. So the stuff that we were writing about when our kids were crawling on the floor is a lot different now that they’re grown up,” he said.

Greaves added that raising awareness for Kids Help Phone Line felt like a “natural collaboration.”

“Hopefully it helps, because people are listening,” he said.

-With files from CTV’s Nicole Dube.