by Mely Duong
Melancholic. Atmospheric. Poppy. Three words that nearly clash in meaning yet are somehow intertwined to signify the sound of Love For Pluto, an up and coming rock band from a small town in New Jersey. Since 2013, they have been harnessing their skills in writing songs about love, loss, and octopi. The quirky nature of octopi is actually an interesting topic in their song “Blonde Octopus.” Actually, it isn’t really about octopus so much as it’s symbolic for how distance and forces of nature can kill a beautiful relationship so tragically.
“Literally every song has a deeper meaning for me. I don’t like writing songs that are so blunt about my problems, I try to simplify them and symbolize them so it’s more universal. I will usually have a chord progression & lyric that paves the way for a supporting melody, but sometimes it varies,” states Arley Kühl, vocalist of Love For Pluto.
The band started as a solo project in 2013, when Arley Kühl wanted to have an electro pop sound. He chose the name Love For Pluto because of not only Pluto’s heart shaped mark but also because astrologically, he’s a Scorpio, whose ruling planet is Pluto. The name, which represented Kühl in a subtle way, was well received by band members later on. As a solo project, Kühl produced Neptune and eventually went on to record the first album, Into the Night.
The sound of the album had become more mellow and spacious, in the sense that it was hard to define the band as merely an electro pop project anymore. The sound and songs were more unrelenting, taking a larger part of the audience’s focus than the solo project had as it focused on anxiety and depression. The songs were very dramatic on Into the Night. With the new lineup Kühl has, the songs have and sound have once again evolved, more energetic and upbeat.
The current lineup consists of Arley Kühl, the vocalist; Logan Crossan, the drummer and backup vocalist; Branden Lynch, the guitarist; Cory Pullen, the bassist and backup vocalist. Interestingly, enough Kühl is not only the frontman but also the primary songwriter and a guitarist and synth player. Talk about multitasking.
One of the biggest challenges the band had faced was when Kühl decided to stay in New Jersey rather than move away with the rest of his family, in addition to the initial lineup changes and finding the right members for the band. Despite those minor upheavals, the band has seen moderate success and is playing the HollyStock music festival in Mount Holly, New Jersey at 12pm on the Uptown Stage on August 8th!
Through the producer at Blue Light Studio, where they recorded Into the Night, they were able to impress and secure a spot in the show lineup. This event certainly addresses their short term goal of getting as many people to hear their music as possible while they write their new record and play more shows. Further down the line, fans should expect a new album and touring. For potential new fans, give “Sea of Flourescent Lights” a try as it has everything ranging from emotional lyrics to power pop chord progressions.
For more information check out their Facebook page and bandcamp.
