Murray Lightburn of The Dears says finding a new crew of band members was something that happened naturally. (Craig Robertson, Sun Media)

What a difference a year can make.

In 2007, Montreal group The Dears were nominated for a Polaris Music Prize for its 2006 effort Gang of Losers, another lush indie-rock statement fuelled by lead singer/guitarist Murray Lightburn.

This year, The Dears are back with a new album entitled Missiles but, aside from Lightburn and keyboardist/singer/wife Natalia Yanchak, have entirely restocked their arsenal in terms of personnel.

Lightburn says the band's future was up in the air for a few months.

"There was a lot of soul searching," he says hours prior to a recent Toronto gig. "We really had to make some major decisions. After a while, the only problem was that there was still a lot of music happening. I just wasn't certain who was going to be a part of that music and how it was going to unfold. In the end, I just decided to move forward and just start working with people who believed."

Questions about the overhaul, which Lightburn attributes to "a lot of miscommunication" and others choosing another path, is still something which pushes his buttons a bit.

"I can't believe this is all I've been talking about, and I understand people want to hear what happened and why there's a new lineup," he says. "The thing is -- it really comes down to the music. You don't end a band or a project just because people are leaving. It would be the same as some people leaving this record company or if some people left the Sun. I mean that's bulls--- because news still exists, records need to be put out and it's the same with The Dears."

Fortunately all that turmoil and turnover hasn't affected the overall sound and style The Dears are known for. Despite the changes, Missiles basically picks up where Gang of Losers left off with a few surprises, including the musical twists and turns fuelling Lights Off.

"That one sticks out of the set huge, it's so massive and so epic. It's one of my favourite songs to sing right now," Lightburn says. "And its place on the album as well is at that point in the record where it turns. Basically as a listener you have to decide whether you're in this or not after hearing that track. If you stay, you're in for a ride."

Another track Lightburn is proud of is Meltdown in A Minor, the first single and based around a person who shall remain nameless.

"Our last album had a song on it that made me think of this same person," he says. "I like to sing it and it's such a simple song, they're simple lyrics. There are a lot of simple lyrics that we might get trashed for but I don't care, there's something to it."

As for the lineup, Lightburn says Jason Kent, Lisa Smith, Yann Geoffroy, Laura Wills and Christopher McCarron are fitting in nicely but still getting their feet wet after a handful of shows together. He also says finding the new players was something which happened rather naturally.

"Relationships evolved and turned into something pretty meaningful," Lightburn says. "These kids have no idea what they're in for. I keep warning them about the fire and the ash, but they think I'm joking around. But they'll see, it's going to be all consuming and they won't know what happened to them. It happened to the other guys -- and they're gone now.

"I think the kids are handling it really well. Most people who have seen the shows acknowledge that there are understandably slip-ups here and there, but the music is coming off properly and with the right intentions. We just have to get comfortable and we haven't found the comfort zone yet. But we're working on it."