Shadowgraphs - Shadowgraphs (2022)

"Shadowgraphs" is the new self-titled album from the Portland, Oregon based band of the same name. Representing a turning point for the band, the album was created in the spirit of true collaboration. Written and recorded in the shadow of the global pandemic and the social justice movements that sprung up in its wake, the album finds the band grappling with the changing world and their place in it.

The story begins not long after the world shut down for the first time, when the band headed down to Bay City, OR and began tracking in an old beach house on the windswept coast. The isolation worked to the band’s advantage, and they were able to tap into a sound that stands on its own compared to their past records and amongst their peers in the modern indie music scene. Just like the old days, a couple of the stand-out tunes were conceptualized during a 3am writing session, quickly recorded and arranged within 24 hours.

Returning to Portland with the basic tracks, the band headed to their studio to finish overdubs and begin the mixing process. It was during this part of the journey that guitarists Wils Glade and Bryan Olson started getting deep into audio electronics and decided to build a 1960’s Op Amp Labs console from scratch. The band ended up mixing the record through the console, which lent a unique vibe to the album that quite literally bears their fingerprints. “We actually ended up mixing the whole record through the console live, so not only did it feel rewarding mixing our own stuff for the first time, but we felt like we really got to literally touch every frequency on the record by assembling capacitors, resistors, etc” says Glade.

Equally inspired by classic psychedelic pop and modern indie rock, the new album finds the band branching out and incorporating shoegaze, post-punk, and dream pop influences into their sound. The resulting album calls to mind the effervescent melodies of labelmates Sugar Candy Mountain, the ghostly atmosphere of Papercuts, and the twisted pop sensibilities of Chris Cohen.