Easter Island‘s progressive sound is re-forging the middle-class angst pop that defined the mid 90s and early 00s. This impressive group of classically trained guys hail from Athens, GA and have been playing together in a carousel of revolving bands since 2005, when vocalist Ethan Payne met lead guitarist Nathan Thompson. Payne (formerly of The Cubs, Union & Corduroy Road) has worked in the film industry for the past three years as a freelance shooter/editor/boom operator. Recently, he produced Athens Soundies: a series of lo-fi music videos featuring mostly local musicians and touring bands passing through, inspired by Vincent Moon’s takeaway shows.
Their love for creating music evolved from college bands to mature sounds and when Payne’s brother Asher Payne (vocalist and pianist) moved to Athens to pursue a Master’s in vocal performance, Easter Island was born. As drummer John Cable (The Corduroy Road and Moses Gunn) and bassist Andrew Terrell joined the band, the puzzle for the perfect mix was complete. Their balance of calculated chaos, inspired by their birth into their mid-20’s, yuppie adulthood and love gone awry, forms an addictive sound that is just reminiscent enough of 90’s pop to create a sentimental familiarity that is surprisingly easy to listen to.