Spartan Records and Suburban Eyes are excited to announce the Friday, August 30th release of the indie trio’s ‘Self-titled’ debut album. After over two decades of recording and touring with their individually prominent ‘90s/early-’00s indie bands, the members of Suburban Eyes — Eric Richter (Christie Front Drive, Antarctica), Jeremy Gomez (Mineral, The Gloria Record), and John Anderson (Boys Life) — offer up a nine-song showcase that truly sets itself apart via a sonic duality that seamlessly finds an intersection between propulsion and drive but interwoven with dreamy and shimmering soundscapes, all while retaining accessible pop structures and hooks.
While the members of Suburban Eyes collectively represent an impressive roster of previous projects, aside from their established DIY values and work ethic, the band does not rehash too much literal musical influence. Certainly each player brings their own unique sonic signatures that are identifiable to longtime listeners, but make no mistake — this is something new. “I think that all three of us are far enough removed from our past projects at this point,” Jeremy Gomez says. “That’s not to say that you don’t continue to carry those things with you, but creatively speaking, none of us even gave [our previous bands] any thought, good or bad, when working on this project.”
While Gomez handled the bulk of the production and engineering on its forthcoming self-titled debut, the album reached new heights with the introduction of Grammy-Award-winning mixer Peter Katis (The National, Kurt Vile, Death Cab for Cutie). “We also knew that since this was going to be our introduction to the world that we wanted it to sound better than it would if it was just me fumbling and faking my way through the mixes,” Gomez says. “When Peter began working on the record, it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that there is a reason why he is a sought after mixing engineer. As we continued to finish the writing and pre-production process for the rest of the tracks, there was really no other choice but to have Peter continue to mix the rest.”
While a departure from the traditional “work-it-out in the studio” approach gave way to a more introspective and virtual process, many challenges transitioned into opportunities as the band continuously honed the direction of the record. Additionally, Suburban Eyes is also a story of reconnection, but also a lesson in taking things further than you thought was previously possible but through different avenues.
“The band really came at a perfect time for me,” Gomez summarizes. “Aside from not really being able to do much of anything because of what was happening in 2020, musically I didn’t have anything going on either so I jumped at the chance to try something new. It just feels really great to have rekindled my friendships with John and Eric, and to be able to create this collection of songs as effortlessly as we did. I haven’t been this creatively satisfied in a long time.”
“Making this record has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Anderson adds. “I feel like Suburban Eyes is the most important band I’ve ever been in, and it doesn’t matter to me if the general public shares the sentiment.” Often with a pause, and the occasional cheeky comment, comes moments of clarity and perspective. Suburban Eyes represents both a dynamic and creative unpausing — and inception — of something powerful and newly inspired.
‘Suburban Eyes’ tracklist:
1. SoCal (Psycho)
2. Headlight Torches
3. 4 AM
4. Never Ending
5. Floyd
6. Uncomplicated Lives
7. Voices
8. Cocktail Ride
9. Perfect Hands