Standing before a Jackson Pollock painting is like embarking on a visual journey into the depths of creativity and emotion. The vibrant colors and dynamic patterns seem to dance and pulsate with a life of their own, evoking a whirlwind of emotions, from excitement to contemplation. It’s within this seemingly random chaos that one discovers a hidden order, and a testament to the artist’s mastery of the craft. The same can be said when listening to indie-psychedelic band Heavy Light‘s latest album, “FRAMES.” Before its album release party on Oct. 21 at Silver Moon Brewing, founding members of the band, Jarred Schwake and Tyson Vandenbrouke, spoke with me over Zoom.
The band’s signature blend of indie rock, psychedelic and synth elements spreads across a whopping 11-track LP that loops mesmerizing melodies and ethereal lyrics with kaleidoscopic sonic influence that’s celestial yet grounded at the same time. But this niche contemporary sound was not something that came overnight. In fact, the two musicians played in multiple bands together before forming the four-piece that is now known as Heavy Light.
“Tyson and I’s musical language and chemistry has kind of been built of jam sessions during and after band practices,” Schwake said, “…and we met Chase Mersereau while all playing in a band called Cadence years back.” Skyler Kruger rounds out the lineup providing bass and synth.
When the band got together to record this, its sophomore album, the members knew that it was time for their approach to songwriting to evolve. “I think what sets this album apart from anything else we’ve done is that we went into it with a very clear idea that this would be a studio album,” Schwake said.
“There was mainly one writer on our last album, it being myself with some help from Jarred, but on this album, I’d say all four of our voices as songwriters are equally clear, and we all contribute on different instruments for sure,” Vandenbrouke said.
So, how do you get four incredibly talented multi-faceted musicians to hone their chemistry and guide them toward a distinct goal throughout a lengthy production process? Heavy Light chose Portland-based singer/songwriter, Kyle Morton of rock band Typhoon, to produce the album, a choice they say took very little deliberation. “Bringing in Kyle to produce was a decision that was based more off of pure intuition,” Schwake continued, “…his talent is so palpable.”
Morton accepted the task with complete conviction, bunking with the rest of the band right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. “When COVID hit, we all went out to Mt. Hood and got tested on the porch of this cabin,” Schwake recalled, “…as soon as we all tested negative it was like a sign, there was a clear shift of attitude. Kyle told us the purpose of this retreat was to get the framework of these songs, and from there it was time to get to work.”
Get to work they did. With dedicated songwriting sessions, these bandmates would scribble lyrics and poems on loose-leaf notebooks down by the river, sharing whatever came to their minds. “When we left the cabin, we had a bank of about 60 song skeletons that we could use,” Vandenbrouke added before casually taking a sip from an orange LaCroix, “…when we wanted more flavor, we could go to our folder with ideas that were less finished.”
On the title track, “Frames,” a wave of synths gives way to a pleasantly surprising horn section that both bandmates admit was a beautiful testament to the free-flowing creativity that came from their four-piece-equal-footed approach. Schwake, who played saxophone, trumpet and French horn in high school, went to the greatest lengths to pitch his idea for the title track, “I’m listening to the song and I start thinking that horns could really amplify the whole energy of it… I think I sent a recording with me doing mouth trumpet to the guys just so they could hear what I was hearing,” he said with a laugh. “I bought a trumpet off Craigslist last second to do the actual recording though,” he assured me.
“The mouth trumpet actually made it on there, too,” Vandenbrouke confessed with glee, “…it’s mixed in with the real one, but it’s there!”
With a live-show album release party at Silver Moon Brewing on Oct. 21, Vandenbrouke promised that the band would continue to push the boundaries of music. “In a couple of our songs there’s motor-synth, and this might be people’s first time hearing an instrument like that.”
As the sun began to set in our respective zoom squares, Tyson expressed perhaps their truest creative intentions. “Every artist’s desire is for their art to connect with other people. All I want, and all we want is to have the opportunity for that to happen. To feel that it’s possible within ourselves, and our own music– it’s pretty damn special,” Vandenbrouke admitted.
“I agree,” Schwake said simply, who somehow made unmuting himself on zoom seem cool.
This article appears in Source Weekly October 5, 2023.
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