The Brocks' Kaskade Produced Indie Rock/Dance Album Out Today
By: Caryn Robbins Sep. 22, 2017
Provo, Utah is home to such successful musical acts as Imagine Dragons and Neon Trees. Also from the area are THE BROCKS who release their self-titled debut album THE BROCKS today (September 22) on Kaskade's Arkade label. The band-who is Dane Brock (lead singer/synths), Christian Darais (drummer/programmer), Morgan Ence (guitar/harmonies) and Ryan King (bass/harmonies)--are already a hit in Utah's music scene and poised on the edge of national success.
THE BROCKS play music that generates intense emotion with a combination of electronic dance beats, post-rock guitar clamor, dark synthesizer textures and passionate, introspective lyrics. Their music speaks realistically to the struggles of coming of age. "We blend the sounds of electronic music with the soul of indie rock," Brock says. "I think striving to find meaning in life is one of the primary, most powerful motivating forces for me, and that's something I want to express in our music."Listen to THE BROCKS now here:
The band has been refining their sound for the past four years, working on demos with local producers Nate Pyfer and Finn Bjarnson and playing as often as possible. Representatives of Kenneth Cole saw them perform "Circles" and licensed the tune for an international ad campaign, giving the band a considerable boost. When Pyfer and Bjarnson heard that Kaskade, the Grammy- nominated electronic music producer and DJ, was looking for music for a documentary he was working on, they sent him a demo of "Summer Nights." He liked what he heard. "[Kaskade] played our song at the end of his Electric Daisy Carnival set in Las Vegas, in front of a sea of screaming people, which was cool to see," Darais says. "Our career went from zero to 90 MPH pretty quickly."
THE BROCKS collaborated with Kaskade on the soundtrack of the Under the Electric Sky documentary. After hearing a few more songs, he signed on to produce their debut album THE BROCKS. "We had access to the weirdest synthesizers known to man and a fantastic recording facility. The singles we put out-- 'Circles' and 'Summer Nights'--did well, so we're really excited about the album."
The album shows off the band's expansive outlook, moving from the hard-hitting electro funk of "What I Want to Hear" and "Summer Nights," to quiet ballads like "Circles" and ravers like "My Love." Haunted, wordless harmonies drift behind Brock's quiet vocals to open "On and On," a heartstring pulling pop tune about wanting to be remembered fondly after passing on. King's distorted bass and the deep, steady pulse of Darais' drums build up to the massive emotional release of the chorus. A synthesizer mimicking the muted tolling of tubular bells introduces "Never Coming Back," a straightforward rocker featuring a steady, subtle backbeat and the fuzzy twang of Ence's guitar. Brock's solemn vocal fades into shuddering waves of synthesizer and guitar to express the frustration of being boxed in by others' expectations.
Wistful synthesizers, a persistent dance beat and Brock's sensual vocal makes "My Love" a perfect song of seduction. Brandon Campbell (Neon Trees) supplies a driving, fretless bass line that sends the chorus into overdrive. "Won't Stop Here" conveys dark determination with haunted harmonies, ominous keyboards and rumbling bass overtones that give the tune a menacing, anthemic feel.
Track listing for THE BROCKS' THE BROCKS is:
1. What I Want To Hear
2. Going Nowhere
3. On And On
4. Never Coming Back
5. What Do We Live For
6. Circles
7. Hollywood
8. Summer Nights
9. My Love
10. Won't Stop Here
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