TUNE THE HARP

Indianapolis-based psych-metal outfit Joshua Powell is one of the hardest-working collectives in the area. The trio comprises Joshua himself on lead vocals and guitar, Josh Townsend handling the low frequencies on bass guitar, and Jacob Powell keeping the pace on drums. With decades of experience under their belts, their overall sound has undergone an evolution with each release. As of late, their efforts have been poured into producing a brand-new full-length record, for which the second single was just launched. Dubbed “Tune the Harp,” this particular number has a unique backstory, and we had a chat with Joshua to dive into some of the details.

For those unfamiliar, Powell pours an immense amount of thought, mindfulness, and personal experience into the compositional elements of his songs, and this latest release is no exception. “I wrote ‘Tune The Harp’ after listening to the long-form journalism podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill from Mike Cosper and Christianity Today. When I was a devout youngster, I was caught in the zeitgeist of toxic priests like Mark Driscoll, and my exit from that religious scene was about as turbulent as the revelation in Deus Ex when you realize you’ve been working for the bad guys. The lyrics are a deconstructive anthem, indicting those who would use influence and spiritual authority to feed on the very flock they were meant to protect.”

 

 

With the heaviness of such exposure, the ensuing aural result certainly followed suit, leaning on the nostalgic backbone of past influences to cope with change. “The song also borrows heavily from the dual-singer counterpart of bands like Emery and Taking Back Sunday. The harmonic ambiguity, switching between major and minor modal centers, is heavily inspired by Deftones’ self-titled record, where songs like ‘Minerva’ manage to be brutally heavy (and largely major) without fitting neatly into the Rise-core or Tooth & Nail-core tropes of the era,” Powell stated. “We knew our references were drenched in nostalgia, but none of the three of us have been in any heavy music projects since our teens, and it felt freeing and exhilarating to reach into the coffer of our aggressive influences.” This shift to a heavier space has proven to be a wise move for the group. It feels as natural as it does appropriate, given the subject matter of their new material. In order to match the vibe of the lyrical content, an equally inspired tracking approach was undertaken.

When it came to the recording process, a unique proposal was presented. “We were approached by Jeremy Mang at Whisper Studios in Kokomo, IN, who needed a band to record for a video on his popular channel, Recording Studio Loser. The concept of the session was recording a whole song using only AEA brand ribbon microphones. Ribbons are sometimes thought of as ‘the obscure stepchildren of dynamic microphones,’ and the potential technical obstacles were brought into focus by the other uniqueness of this session: it was our first time recording a metal song.” Fully embracing this unconventional challenge, the trio gravitated toward oddity. Joshua recounted his headspace during the session: “Referencing bands like Blindside, Underoath, Deftones, and Muse, every take was an experiment in tone. We had six mics on a bass cab. I sang into a snare mic. The results were colorful and singular.” This revelation adds dimension to the final outcome. It definitely helps that all members of the band have ample experience in the studio, so these ventures were welcomed. As a side note, it's worth mentioning that Mang and Townsend also have an excellent podcast called "Phantom Power Hour" where they discuss engineering focused topics and even their experience with the Vola brand in more recent episodes.

 

 

To further solidify the vision, the collective recently filmed a music video. Their visuals are notoriously captivating and provocative, and when the time comes, rest assured that they will be broadcast on our channels. Both Joshua Powell and Josh Townsend will be featured playing their Vola instruments, with Powell on the tried-and-true Vasti V3 MC and Townsend on his ZVA 4P MF bass. The full LP is currently in the works and will be released by the ever-supportive Romanus Records. Until then, “Tune The Harp” is a prominent example of what we can expect from the amorphous Indy outfit.