Author: MADELINE THOMAS Photo courtesy of the artist’s Facebook page
Porches is playing Neumos on March 3rd. You could count down the days ahead by listening to the entire Porches discography, or you could read this article and brush up on your knowledge of the band’s recent work. Or both.
2018 has been a productive year for Aaron Maine. He’s the lead singer of synth-pop band, Porches, which has become increasingly popular in the last year or so—his Instagram and Twitter profiles boast a combined 40k+ following. Since the new year began, Maine released a full album, entitled The House, alongside three music videos.
Porches fans have watched, or listened, as band members floated in and out, shaky guitar was swapped for glitzy synth beats, and lyrics transformed into empathetic descriptions of feeling lost where he once crooned about giving head and going to therapy (yes, in that order). Summer of Ten was released way back in 2011, a three person project recorded in a basement, echoing boyish emotion and sounds of suburban discontent. Something about his voice pulled the teen angst out of me, and halfway through my third listen, I was convinced I, too, could create. The album was (is) inspiring.
The 2013 album Slow Dance in the Cosmos is nothing short of a cult-classic. Guitar verging on folk-rock combined with abstract, dense sounds and Maine’s poetic, but vague musings on past relationships, his identity, and stories of chance encounters, left me, and most listeners, intrigued. I remember thinking, “what genre is this?” In my experience with music, if you can’t quite describe it, that means it’s good.
Flash forward to 2016. Pool is released, and Pitchfork includes it in their “Best New Music” list. For a band with a following comprised mainly of art school type, queer kids on the internet, this was big. Featuring self-produced beats and the ever-so-lovely vocals of Frankie Cosmos’ Greta Kline, the album feels and sounds like floating in a pool. (Nice work on the title, Aaron.) Personal favorites from Pool include “Glow”, “Mood”, and “Underwater.” Aaron may be a Libra, but this album will forever be a water sign essential. Trust me, I’m an expert.
When the Water EP was released later that year, my world was complete. The re-workings of my favorite songs from the previous album sounded just as promised by the title—as if playing from boombox speakers underwater, or surfing sparkling guitar waves while straddling a wah pedal. Every tumblr-using, jean-cuffing, rolled-beanie wearing college kid’s favorite self-described “weird guy on the internet” had done it again.
The creative vision which hooked listeners on Slow Dance in the Cosmos, and kept us coming back night after night to sit in our bedrooms and stare at the ceiling while listening to Pool, didn’t stop there. Maine’s latest work, The House, is, in his own words, a genre-bending “effort in minimalism and honesty.” In appreciation of the power of demo tracks, all the songs from The House were conceived, created, and recorded in the same day. This unique creative process is the key to the reflective, diary entry feeling evoked by every song, a pattern discernible despite the divergent sounds and instruments featured on the 14 track album. Highlights include jangling techno on “Find Me”, the somber keys of “Goodbye”, and the Norwegian lyrics in interlude track “Åkeren.”
With as many verified bops, slaps, and emo-bangers as Porches has produced, the upcoming Neumos show is sure to be a trip down musical memory lane. Thinking about the setlist has me crossing my fingers, toes, and all other twistable body parts in hopes of hearing my favorite tracks on March 3rd. There is no shortage of songs I desperately want to hear performed live, but I’ll settle for a Water EP rendition of “Glow” or “Shaver.” Can you blame me? I’m a water sign!
Tickets for the show are available online or at the Runaway box office on 10th and Pike. Doors for this all-ages event open at 8:00 PM.
Keep up with Porches on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, and Twitter, and check out his website for updated tour dates and exclusive news.
MADELINE THOMAS | dreaming of a Porches and Frankie Cosmos split LP | KXSU Music Reporter