“Crosswalk Stereo”
from the EP Colors
2010
iTunes
This is how quickly a buzz band develops in the super-connected new millennium.
Last spring, Will Roberts and Kyle Peters carried out a long-discussed plan to form a dance-rock band. They recruited Brian Healey to play synthesizer and Neil Lucas for drums, wrote a few songs, and recorded them in a spare bedroom of the house Roberts and Peters shared.
Now they have a deal with their hometown Louisville-based SonaBLAST! Records and even interest from major labels.
“We just threw it together,” said Roberts, still bewildered at the chain of events. “We just wanted music on our MySpace page. We wanted people at our shows, and we knew they wouldn’t come out if they couldn’t hear us. It was basically just a demo.”
Pleased with the results, The Pass self-released the songs as the EP Colors to sell at shows and to distribute to local music writers and radio stations. Suddenly, The Pass’ thoroughly sweet and danceable song “Crosswalk Stereo” entered the rotation on WFPK-FM. There were also rave reviews from blogs and local print publications.
“Mark my words when I say these guys are the next, next, next big thing,” wrote Pretty Much Amazing’s Luis Tovar in January.
The Pass had played only a couple of shows but the buzz already led impresario Gill Holland to sign the band to SonaBLAST! for a full-length album slated for release this summer. SonaBLAST! this year re-released Colors, too.
“It kind of just blew up,” said Roberts, who moved to Louisville from New Jersey to attend the University of Louisville’s music school.
The songs on Colors team up-tempo dance beats, stirring funk-inspired electronic grooves and Peters’ melodramatic vocals. They’ve drawn comparisons to Louisville’s VHS or Beta and French popsters Phoenix. Roberts said the new album won’t diverge too far from the EP.
“We’re trying to keep a lot of the same elements, but we’re trying to go bigger,” he said.
The success of Colors has put The Pass in an odd position. The EP was an accidental debut, recorded quickly and simply and designed for a small audience. Now, The Pass is in the odd position of making its first true record while also battling the expectations games that come with a sophomore release.
“It’s funny, because it shouldn’t count,” he said, laughing.