For better or worse, Toronto roots duo Scarlett Jane has found heartbreak to be a renewable resource.
Andrea Ramolo and Cindy Doire wrote their first album "Stranger" — originally issued in 2012 before getting a major-label remix and re-release last year — as they were both enduring breakups.
In 2013, they jetted off to Cuba for a songwriting sojourn and beach vacation rolled into one — a getaway made all the more necessary given that they were both, yes, recovering again from romantic splits.
And now that those yearning tunes have been released — in the form of the pair's recently dropped self-titled sophomore album — Ramolo and Doire find themselves, once again, freshly single.
"We are still breaking up with people," Ramolo said recently, joined by her partner on speakerphone as they fussed over salads.
"Our hearts are broken still," added Doire. "And we're about to go on the road with broken hearts.
"It's like: 'Here we are again, not much has changed.'"
Well, the one constant for Scarlett Jane, aside from romantic instability, has been each other.
Onstage, their voices meld into one, and it's not much different on the phone. The two talk over each other, finish each other's sentences, and lob ideas back and forth with the dexterity of tennis pros, providing convincing evidence of the decade-plus friendship that preceded the band's existence.
Though they claim that not much has changed, Ramolo and Doire feel they've found their sound on their second album: an elegant synthesis of roots, country, folk, rock and blues, united by a deep melancholy streak.
As the pair prepared for imminent gigs at the Festival d'ete de Quebec, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Calgary Folk Music Festival, did they worry about how their emotional material might play in front of sun-baked festival goers?
"Who hasn't longed for somebody, who hasn't felt the need to say one last thing to their lover before they walk away?" asked Doire rhetorically.
"All of these things are universally felt and people find comfort in shared sadness."
Of course, not everyone has a best friend, partner and creative collaborator forever at the ready to aid in their recovery.
And with the professional challenges that have come with the band's steady rise, they've only grown closer.
"I've watched Cindy grow, she's watched me grow," said Ramolo.
"We've gone through really, really, really tough times, both separately and alongside each other, helping each other through those tough times.
"We are extremely open with one another," she added.
"We basically made the joke last night that if we never find life partners, well, this is it babe."
"Life will always be funny, because we have each other, and we're pretty hilarious," agreed Doire.
"Worst-case scenario, life will at least be pretty funny."
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This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.