In 2007, before Gerard Butler was leaving post-mortem messages for Hilary Swank in kitschy drama films, there existed another PS I Love You, a noise-pop duo from Kingston, Ontario. They're raucous, loud, and nothing at all comparable to the film or The Beatles song of the same name. In fact, the dichotomy has left many confused, and the same might happen when the band play the Out Back Shack on Friday, February 11. That's okay with Paul Saulnier, though, frontman and creative lead of the band.

"I think it's a good thing to, not necessarily ruin peoples expectations, but maybe surprise them," he said over the phone from Kingston. "Most of (our) songs are love songs, they're just not very sweet sounding. It's not what people might expect. I'm happy enough with that."

Many of those love songs can be found on Meet Me At The Muster Station, PS I Love You's acclaimed 2010 release. But as Saulnier mentioned, they don't exactly fit the mold of traditional love songs. They feature loud, aggressive drums played by Benjamin Nelson, while Saulnier's distorted guitar riffs and almost indistinguishable vocals oftentimes sound more like secondary melodies than the focal point of a song. That was, according to Saulnier, an aesthetic choice on their behalf.

"I don't focus on melodies and lyrics with the intent to have them higher or above everything else in the mix. Lyrics are important, but they're not really the main show when it comes to us. I try to get feelings across without people actually really needing to understand the words."

A lot is told through the tension of the songs: the low rumble of guitars and even a few shredding solos played on the album. In a musical sense, they reflect the more chaotic, disruptive side of love.

"Most of the songs are love songs and most love ends up being a disaster," Saulnier asserted with some cynicism. "So you kind of want to escape from that."

The idea of escape is also reflected in the album's title; though it was named after a favourite landmark of Saulnier's in Kingston, muster stations are historically meeting places used in cases of emergency.

"There's a lot of anxiety and panic in our music so (a) muster station just seemed like a theme that sort of fits with everything that we were doing on this album."

It's not an aesthetic every music listener will appreciate, and certainly some are likely to find PS I Love You's music abrasive. Still, one must admit its remarkable qualities, if not simply for the fact that two people are capable of so much uninhibited noise.

As Saulnier proclaimed, "It needs that sort of raw sound and that intensity. The songs are just really short and I think they have more impact when they're sort of rough sounding. Anything that's super cleaned up and polished, it'd take away from the songs and make it kind of boring."

Critics seem to agree, and publications from NOW Magazine to Pitchfork have given PS I Love You top marks, placing the band on many music fans' radars. Now touring to promote Meet Me At The Muster Station, the band will be playing a few solo shows before hitting the road with friend, and current indie sensation Diamond Rings.

So prepare to be surprised, and come watch PS I Love You play at the Out Back Shack, February 11 as part of Fanshawe's Free New Music Night.