Delicate piano melodies, guitar strums, easygoing vocals, and a catchy pop/rock sound generate through the computer’s speakers; the soothing sounds come from “Nomad Heart,” (echolove)’s first full-length album, set to release in early April.
“I think of ‘Nomad Heart’ as a search for satisfaction, fulfillment and meaning in life, and how our hearts are always kind of wandering nomads,” Belmont sophomore and (echolove) frontman Tyler Moody said.
Moody, who’s studying commercial voice with an emphasis in songwriting, created the band last year with a group of friends. They released an EP called “The Sound Wave Project” last August, but (echolove) has changed a lot since then.
Apart from Moody, no original members remain.
“In a way, (echolove) kind of died and was reborn,” Moody said.
(echolove) is still a work in progress, currently without permanent members. For the album, Moody teamed up with sophomore guitarist Bennett Beckner and freshman bassist Quentin Flowers.
“For me, (echolove) is kind of stripped down, back to the basics – no auto-tune or anything like that,” Beckner said. “I think it’s a step away from all the music defining music culture right now.”
Initially, the album wasn’t “Nomad Heart.” Instead, it was a self-titled acoustic record Moody planned to release in conjunction with an album (echolove)’s original members were working on. It wasn’t until after (echolove)’s members left and an independent recording opportunity fell through for Moody that “Nomad Heart” became what it is, an (echolove) record.
Much of the album was recorded over weekends last fall. Juggling schoolwork with recording sessions made the process much slower. For Moody, the experience taught him how to “just let it go and have faith that everything is going to happen, everything’s going to get done.”
During the recording process, Beckner’s focus was on Moody’s music. “I just wanted to do something that appealed to Tyler, or furthered his music in a sense and just added to his vision,” he said.
Beckner and Flowers will accompany Moody for the pre-release of “Nomad Heart” March 29 at the Curb Cafe. Drummer Josh Jackson and pianist Aaron Bostwick will also perform with the group.
And (echolove) is more of a mantra than a band name. “It’s just echoing what you’ve been given, the love you’ve been given,” Moody said.
Moody wrote the album’s nine songs.
“Songwriting is a very hit or miss thing,” Moody said. “Sometimes I’ll sit down to write a song and nothing will come to me, so when I feel the creative spark coming on, I try and forsake everything else and just sit down and write the song because it’s a rare opportunity.”
His music often originates from a lyrical phrase or melody he has in his head. Regardless of how it comes to fruition, Moody knows that if he gets chills from music, he’s “either making good music, or listening to good music.”
Life, other music, relationships, struggles, happiness and God are all some of the things inspire the album’s music. Moody’s goal with “Nomad Heart” is to move people, inspire them as well as connect with them.
“I think pretty much all the songs are relatable. We’ve all had similar experiences,” Flowers said. “That’s just people.”
The songs on “Nomad Heart” are very personal to Moody. Releasing his thoughts as music is something he still grapples with.
“It’s kind of like a battle,” Moody said. “Sometimes I go back and forth in my head, wondering whether I want other people to hear them.”
For Beckner, the most personal songs are often the most relatable.
“The deeper you take a song, the deeper you go into yourself with a song, the wider the audience it’ll relate to because everyone’s human,” he said.
A passion for making music is the overwhelming commonality between Moody, Beckner and Flowers as musicians.
“It just feels like home when you make music,” Beckner said. “There are certain things you do and you just feel at home, or totally yourself when you’re doing them, and music is the only thing that gets me that way.”
For Flowers, “It’s like medicine and a drug all at the same time, and it just makes sense compared to a lot of other stuff.”
To sum up “Nomad Heart,” Moody put it simply.
“It’s all my dreams coming true.”
GETTING THERE:
Currently, two songs from the album, “What I Go Through” and “Ever Leave My Side,” are available as previews on (echolove)’s NoiseTrade page. Individuals can pre-order “Nomad Heart” on Kickstarter, and, once released, it will be available on iTunes.
(echolove) website: http://www.echolovemusic.com/#!
(echolove) on NoiseTrade: http://noisetrade.com/echolove
(echolove) Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1897893721/preorder-echoloves-new-record-nomad-heart
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