Los Angeles band, Analog Party, honor Rock n’ Roll in all of its glory
For any Rock band trying to make it in today’s Pop sphere, it’s not an easy feat. The late 2010s have been all about sleek electronic Pop and Trap, leaving Rock unofficially declared as “dead” everywhere you look. Los Angeles band, Analog Party, is well aware of this shift and want to make a statement with their music, eager to bring back the primal and organic quality of the Rock music they grew up loving. Comprised of lead singer, Ani, and bassist, Charles Horin, the duo’s influences range from Psychedelic and Classic Rock to Grunge, Industrial and Alternative Rock that dominates the ’90s.
Though they look like a pair of brothers, they are in fact, not related. The pair met when they were both 14. Back then, Ani was playing drums for what he calls his “first serious band.”
“I had linked up with this older 19-year-old guitar player and singer and we were looking for a bass player,” said the singer. “I saw Charles through a mutual friend of ours who had posted a video of his band practice on Facebook.”
Ani spotted that Charles was wearing an Avenged Sevenfold shirt while playing bass in the video and knew he had to reach out to him.
“That was our favorite band growing up and we still love them,” said Ani. “I was such a fan of them at that time and to find this kid my age playing the instrument we needed in the band it was just perfect. It was a match made in heaven, I suppose.”
The pair have been playing in bands around Los Angeles ever since. After about three years, though, they began feeling more confident in their musical abilities and decided to start writing their own music under the name Dead White Day.
The band released three EPs under that name and last year, decided it was time for a change.
One morning, following a gig they played at The Viper Room, singer Ani had two words stuck in his head: Analog Party.
The band then found its new name, a symbol of their growth since their teenage years and a new chapter in their musical journey. It’s somewhat self-referential, with Ani saying: “As far our ethos, we do kind of feel like we are analog guys in a very digital world.”
Their latest EP, titled “Model Youth”, is the first under their new name. The band recorded it in England at Echo Zoo Studios last summer.
The six songs it features vary from hard-hitting Grungy Rock (“Enemy”, “Model Youth”) to more atmospheric and slow-paced Alternative Rock (“Gone”).
“Enemy” is a standout track, alluding to Ultra era Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails at their finest. It’s warping bass and creeping harmonies propel the song with thrilling momentum.
Ani says the EP shows their range and breadth of influences (Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Queens of the Stone Age, Oasis), not wanting the band to feel pigeonholed as just a grunge revival band.
“At our core, we’re just like a true guitar-based Rock band,” says Ani, who hopes to bring back an edge to what people have come to think of modern mainstream Rock bands.
“I think the whole notion that rock is dead is kind of misleading because there’s a lot of great new rock bands that people just don't know about that are doing things that are different and at its core are coming from a very rock and roll place.”
At the moment, the band’s focus is on touring LA and building a solid fanbase now that they’ve found their signature sound, one in which they have “110% faith in” as Ani puts it.
They’re not concerned with breaking into the mainstream though, just radically shaking up the local rock scene.
“In this world of buying Instagram followers and all that kind of shit, it’s way more important to us to have 3000 followers that are dedicated and are coming to all of your shows and buying all your merch and streaming your music than having 10,000 followers, 9,000 of which are random people and bots, so that’s just our immediate goal for this year: building up that core fan base and playing lots of shows.”
They hope to eventually tour the West Coast and the rest of the country.
To check out their EP “Model Youth” on Spotify, click here.
Images Courtesy of Analog Party
Coverage by Patricia Cárdenas
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