For Brandon Wronski of Eye Alaska, the world is his movie, and he wants to write its soundtrack.
Coining the Orange, CA-based group’s eclectic, multi-genre sound as “cinematic rock,” Wronski and bandmates create intricate tracks that mesh and intertwine to form individual parts of a greater story - different scenes for their celluloid masterpiece. For their July 7th debut full-length, Genesis Underground, Eye Alaska continues the grandiose-yet-meticulous delivery they’ve adopted as their signature sound.
“Each individual track is a piece, a story, and a feeling like a score of a movie. Each song takes you to a different place in the plot of the whole album. The epic orchestral songs, the feel good tracks, the love songs, and the darker underbelly,” Wronski said. “The record is the soundtrack to life, covering all the ups and downs and the gamut of human emotion. That is why the songs vary so much in sound, approach, and instrumentation. You can turn on any particular song and feel like you’re in that time and place.”
Beginning with their EP Yellow & Elephant, Eye Alaska established themselves as musical experimentalists who weren’t content with playing it safe. By adding elements from a variety of influences, from film scores to world music, and with Wronski’s blockbuster vocals, there was no sure category to peg the band in.
“We gained a lot of attention from a lot of different labels, but they all wanted us to pick one of our songs on the EP and make all the rest of our music like that. It didn’t matter what the songs were like, they just needed to be homogenized,” Wronski said. “For some reason people think that a listener won’t be able to understand an album or a band if the music doesn’t all sound the same, but I disagree. In the generation of iPods, shuffle mode, and mix tapes at the click of a button, that old way of thinking is on its way out; the genre is going to be a thing of the past in the music of the future.”
With Fearless Records’ faith in the ethos of the band, Eye Alaska is ready to stretch even further with Genesis Underground. Orchestrated by renowned producer Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Faith No More, Sheryl Crow) and co-produced by Brandon Wronski at the legendary Sound City and Studio Deluxe in LA, the recording experience was that of another caliber. Initially, the recording was done primarily by Wronski, tracking parts individually and layering over; this time, Wallace opted to have the band track together to capture the vibe of their live show. Guitarist Cameron Trowbridge said the time spent with Wallace in the studio was revelatory on both sides of the spectrum.
“It was an honor working with Matt. I know that the record would not have turned out the way it did without a person who fully understood our vision,” he said. “It was humbling to hear Matt say that he was challenged with this record… we all knew we were on to something special. I feel like the best time as an artist to create something great is when you are forced to work outside of your element.”
What was created was an evolutionary musical framework that is simultaneously ultra-modern and nostalgic, lushly combining the band’s favored orchestral swirls with current lyrics and melodic counterparts. Lead off single “Walk Like a Gentleman” is a soundtrack to summer with cinematic components and a hip hop beat that shows just a few dimensions of the band’s repertoire - expect nuggets of rock, new age, pop, country, hip-hop, world, their brain-child cinematic-rock, and more facets that will appeal to the quick-change music consumers of today.
“I think everyone is aware that everything in our world is rapidly changing,” Wronski stated. “I want to be apart of the tides of change, that constant sway. I always tell people change is my drug of choice. I’m addicted to it. Life would be immensely boring without it. That’s why every song on the album is so different. I change every day and the music reflects that.” Adds Trowbridge: “The whole record is a statement. From start to finish, the songs, lyrics, subliminal messages…everything is planned and makes sense cohesively…you have to pay attention to detail.”
And pay attention you will. After two consecutive years stunning the packed crowd at Bamboozle Left from the main stage, Eye Alaska will test the waters with Genesis Underground as a live show beginning this summer, including a run supporting The Cab starting in June. As if their ever-changing sound wasn’t enough to keep the pot stirring, the band takes time to see the bigger picture with charity work selling limited-edition Eye Alaska backpacks with all proceeds going to sponsoring children in Africa. It’s just another statement in the way Eye Alaska have branded themselves as the band who live without borders.
“To me, Eye Alaska means being a group of people that stand for something greater than themselves, a group of people that others can confide in, that are not afraid of change,” Trowbridge said. “With that kind of connection, we can create something powerful.”
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