by Lauren Rosier
Photo by Michelle Huynh
If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m incredibly passionate about music, whether it be listening to it, seeing live music, or discovering new music — I’m all for it. And I think I’ve discovered a real gem in the up and coming indie rock band, Fort Lean.
I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with Jake Aron (bassist) and Will Runge (keyboardist) recently to get the lowdown on the band’s upcoming debut record, musical influences, and upcoming summer tour.
Fort Lean’s debut LP, Quiet Day, will be eleased on October 2, 2015 via Ooh La La Records. Throughout the creative process, “the band wrote a lot in advance, both individually and collectively” and worked through the issues of the songs together as a group. The sound on the great record had a lot to do with how they sound together as a band and how they sounded in the studio.
“It ended up being our own sound,” the guys say. “We weren’t really sure conceptually how we wanted songs to be. The songs are very cohesive. We wrote a lot songs and these are the 10 that fit best.”
There isn’t really a theme to Quiet Day; however, when the guys quickly state that it would probably more of an “aspirational” theme, meaning attempting to take yourself to another place and trying to escape to another place.
There has been a ton of buzz circling Fort Lean lately in the media from sites like Stereogum and Consequence of Sound. The band also received glowing reviews from the New York Times. Despite all the buzz surrounding the band, they’re still able to stay humble.
“It’s really cool to know that people care about it, like not hating it or anything,” they say.
With that said, it’s still important as an up and coming rock band in the music to understand the importance to stay fresh and set themselves apart from the plethora from the thralls of others. What sets these guys apart is that the band’s lead singer, Keenan Mitchell, isn’t afraid to use his full voice. [Fort Lean] is “a rock band that is conscious and aware that rock music isn’t the most popular type of music anymore” and that allows them to move beyond the genre.
Fort Lean performs at Milkboy on Thursday July 9th with David Monks of Tokyo Police Club.
