Combining the atmospheres of dreampop, post-punk and art-rock, local band Indigo Plateau are preparing to drop their EP, The Heights, with a flurry of symphonic soundscapes. Indigo Plateau comprises members Evan Pack (guitar, vocals, keys), Michael Paulsen (guitar, noise, vocals), Andres Escobar (bass) and Ian Francis (drums, drum machine), who are prepping for their EP release at Kilby Court on June 28.
“I’ve always had this strong desire to express myself creatively,” says Pack, “but for the longest time, I never really knew how to express that [or] what avenue to take.” Around 11 years old, Pack started getting involved in theatre, loving the type of expression and outlet that the theatre offered. However, Pack wanted to find a way to feel that similar sense of expression through his own stories. “A little bit later in life, I discovered the music that really spoke to me … post-punk music and post-rock,” he says, “stuff that really, I felt, told a story musically the way that I was maybe used to telling a story.” Pack started writing and playing guitar, eventually meeting Escobar and Paulsen in high school—which is when the music started to really “take shape.”
A little over a year ago, Indigo Plateau played their very first show. “We have grown a lot since then in a lot of, I think, very important ways,” says Pack. “First of all, we’ve kind of ‘trimmed the fat,’ and seeing what works, what doesn’t work. Specifically, in a performance setting, because performance is an important aspect of this band.” The bandmates aim to create a specific “universe” during their shows, and they want to share their music with as many people as possible. In fact, Indigo Plateau are currently planning a West Coast tour to share their music and connect with other artists in the region.
One thing that really draws the Indigo Plateau members together is their need and passion to create. “Ever since I’ve been conscious or aware, I’ve always been trying to create things, and music has now become my main medium,” says Pack. “… It’s been really nice to not just have it be an insular thing or an individual thing, but to combine that innate desire and that innate necessity to create something and be able to combine that as four individuals [to make] something a lot greater than what we could do on our own.”
Setting out to record The Heights, the band wanted it to feel textured. For numerous reasons—including loving the other local records that have come from them—Indigo Plateau decided to record with Mike Sasich at Man vs. Music. “One of my favorite things on the EP is on the last song; there’s an organ,” says Pack. “We actually went out to a church building in the Avenues and recorded a pipe organ, and it sounds really, really cool.” Listeners can expect to hear piano samples, drumbeats, layered and textured sound recordings, and synth. Though The Heights is an EP, it’s 25 minutes long and complete with a clear, personal storyline that’s told throughout the EP.
The song you’ll hear on this podcast is “The Heights.” Indigo Plateau will be releasing their debut EP, The Heights, at Kilby Court on June 28, alongside local bands Quiet Oaks and New Shack. This show is all ages and doors open at 7 p.m. Entry is a $5 cover charge. You can find out about other shows on Instagram at @indigoplateauslc or at facebook.com/indigoplateauslc, and their music at indigoplateau.bandcamp.com.
Thanks for listening to SLUG Mag Soundwaves.
- This podcast was created by SLUG Magazine and produced by Angela H. Brown and Secily Saunders
- Associate Producers: Alexander Ortega, Joshua Joye, John Ford, Kathy Zhou
- Executive Producer: Angela H. Brown
- Background music by Indigo Plateau
- Soundwaves logo and art design by Nicholas Dowd
- Technical design by Kate Colgan
- Photo: Nyssa Pack
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