I Wont Fade On You
by Elder Brother

Produced by Grammy-nominated Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Joyce Manor), LP3 finds Elder Brother, now a full-time quartet with the addition of bassist Morgan Foster and drummer/keyboardist Evan Garcia-Renart, in their most comfortable place yet, distancing themselves from their alternative roots in a profound way while simultaneously elevating their place in the prolific NorCal underground scene.
 
“I’ve been getting further away from distortion pedals and more into organic-sounding music” says Rose, who also serves as The Story So Far’s tour manager. “In the past, my favorite songs of ours have been the ones where we’re able to jam a little bit more. I think we’re all getting better at our instruments, so it’s easier to start ripping off more talented artists”.
 
The singer’s self-deprecation aside, “I Won’t Fade On You” doesn’t worship at the altar of other acts as much as it confidently peels back the band’s sound to reveal some perhaps surprising influences. At the beginning of the recording sessions, the band handed Shirley albums by artists like Wilco and Pedro the Lion, music that would ultimately guide the process and draw the sonic roadmap for what the album would become. 

 

From its sparse instrumentation – largely recorded live to tape at Shirley’s Oakland studio with minimal overdubs – to dabblings in everything from acoustic-based indie pop (“If You Love Me (Like You Say)”) and bossa nova (“The Champion of the East Bay”) to keyboard-heavy funk (first single “I Get So Tired of You”) and 3⁄4-time waltzes (“Hair”), “I Won’t Fade On You” showcases a breezier, lighter Elder Brother, one that’s peppered with imperfections and quirks that give the songs a humanity unlike anything they’ve previously released.

 

On the heels of 2018’s “Stay Inside”, an album devastatingly centered on the opioid crisis and its effects on the band’s personal circle, “I Won’t Fade On You” is the sound of songwriters coming out of that hell battered but not broken, looking for the light and resolving not to let it fade out.

 

They’re songs about growing up, growing together and growing apart, ultimately unable to outrun the ghosts of old friends, the pull of old flames and all those deeply embedded feelings we can’t shake – and those we never want to lose. That sense of connection is especially relevant when it comes to Garcia-Renart, a childhood friend of Rose who reconnected with the singer after years apart and whose keyboard proficiency was critical in shaping the album’s sound.

 

It’s life imitating art, a serendipitous reunion that’s led to the hallmark of Elder Brother’s career so far – and the album’s title come to life.

 

“‘I Won’t Fade On You’ was a song Morgan originally wrote” Rose explains. “We ended up changing most of the lyrics, but that one line really resonated with me. It was the unifying moment of the song for me … Writing songs is weird: You’ll put in a placeholder line that fits, and then one day it just all sort of makes sense.” 

 

Elder Brother began as a collaboration between Dan Rose and Kevin Geyer (The Story So Far), who released their debut record, “Heavy Head”, in 2014. The following year the duo released an EP titled “Wish You Were Here”, which featured all tracks with the name “Wish You Were Here”, including an original and covers of songs originally written by Get Up Kids, Ryan Adams and Pink Floyd.

 

Their latest album, “Stay Inside”, was released on May 18^th, 2018 via Pure Noise Records. “Stay Inside” expands on Elder Brother’s previous releases with refined musicianship and songwriting, while focusing on a central theme of drug addiction that has personal meaning to the band.

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