Many of us approach adulthood kicking and screaming, but responsibilities, and the reality of aging, is beyond our control. Marriage, mounting bills, careers, and having kids slowly usher us through to the other side. However, Seattle-based indie duo Weeknites isn’t going out to the 30- something pasture without a big bang. The band’s debut album, Fate Is A Big Tiger, is an escape hatch to a majestic music wonderland that melds synth-washed dream pop with post-punk emo and instantly memorable melodies.
“We started the album writing process as we were phasing out of a dirt rat lifestyle. Everything around us was changing personally and socially, and the album has this chaotic consistency to it that probably stemmed from all that. It was the only outlet we really had at the time, and it feels and sounds like we stuffed 3 years into 30 minutes,” shares Dave Stine.”
Weeknites formed in 2015 as an indie quartet playing the standard local show circuit, and issuing a pair of EPs before essentializing into its current duo incarnation. Members Davis Helgen and Dave Stine share a vision and tireless dedication to their music, and the pair soon found together they could be self-reliant in terms of writing and realizing their artistic aspirations. Dave is a self-taught musician and producer who is drawn to texture and adventurous guitar sounds. Davis is a focused songwriter, and big picture guy with a gift for melodic constructs.
The album release will be preceded by the single “That’s Just Me Now,” and today Glide is excited to premiere it. Opening with a hypnotic bassline and Davis’s fluttery vocals, the song finds the band traversing a dream pop landscape reminiscent of acts like Jay Som, Turnover and The Drums. Lush musical textures complement the song’s melodramatic lyrics about being dedicated to someone during challenging moments and asking for help when you need. But mostly the song is about settling into a new routine of a relationship, and the band conveys this feeling with a sense of playful cool to make for an infectious track that lingers in your mind long after listening.
Dave Stine describes the inspiration and process behind the song:
“It was super fun watching this song slowly come to life. Davis recorded a demo that we kept calling the “Jimmy Eat World song”. It was basically the entire finished song with a few pieces missing here and there. Once we started tracking, it started to feel much more dramatic with the addition of strings and little loops I made with guitar. Our friend Susanna Champlin sang on it and it added this completely new dimension to it. Finishing this song was the moment where I think I realized I could maybe pull off producing this whole album without knowing what the hell I was doing. When Chris sent us his mix and told us he was obsessed with it, I think we both blacked out a little.”
LISTEN:
Visit weeknitesonline.com for more music and info.
Photo credit: Kevin Belford
