Like their name, Neon Trees are a combination of slick pop hooks and
sturdy organic rock, both melodic and hard-hitting, their anthems of
adolescent angst, longing, love lost and found, delivered with the kind
of heart-on-the-sleeve passion that only comes from hard work and
commitment.
Their Mercury Records debut, Habits, produced by
friend, singer/guitarist Tim Pagnotta, is a refreshing blast of
timeless rock energy and spirit that wouldn’t sound out of place at any
point from ‘60s garage-rock to 2010 dance rock, with the first single,
“Animal,” taking off from a round of weaving, angular guitars into a
song equally at home in the arena as on the dance floor, a paean to
sexual longing in which singer/front man Tyler Glenn wails, “Take a
bite of my heart tonight.,” and you have no reason to doubt his
sincerity.
Take hook-happy new wave, add to it the
classic-rock story-telling humanity and leaven with other-worldly
charisma, and you begin to understand the palette Neon Trees are
working from.
“I have this weird, obsessive nature of wanting to
be a superhero,” admits Glenn, who cites his two favorite performers as
the Boss and the King of Pop. “I just want to help my friends and the
people I love by saving them, only to realize they’re really saving me
by listening to the music. The songs are all about forgiveness, love
and passion, which basically sums up the whole vibe of what we’re about
as a band, professionally and spiritually.
”In the opening “Sins
of my Youth,” Tyler reminisces about a childhood of trial, error and
eventual self-discovery. “I’ve got these habits I cannot break… Call me
crazy/I was born to make a mess.” “Your Surrender” takes Roy Orbison’s
romantic plaint and sets it up against Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound,
while “Girls and Boys in School” speaks for itself, with a playground
chant over a dark yet sing-along synth-pop chorus. Chris Allen has a
quirky, edgy Johnny Marrr-meets-The Edge guitar playing while drummer
Elaine Bradley drums with the intensity of John Bonham adding a
heartbeat to the sensuality of the songs.
“We’re all about songs
which relate the human experience,” says Las Vegas native, bassist
Branden Campbell. “The emotion is very important to us. Our logo is a
human heart with wings. We try to keep it real, but we’re not afraid to
dream, either, work hard and admit we want success."
“We
approach the songs from a classic perspective,” adds guitarist Chris
Allen, who formed the initial group in Southern California with
neighbor Tyler, who lived around the corner. “Even from the start, it
was all about the music for us. We didn’t even talk, just practice.”“I’ve
always tried to keep my feet on the ground with my songwriting,” adds
Tyler, a self-taught musician who began composing when he was six. “I
try to focus on getting out what I’m thinking and feeling. It’s a tool
to help me cope with all the weird things that come into my mind. I’m
just happy to have found that outlet.
”When Allen moved to Provo, UT, to attend school, Glenn followed him, knowing he wanted to play music with Allen.“That
was a real awkward trip,” laughs Chris. “We drove all the way out there
and hardly said a word to each other. All we knew was we wanted to play
music together.”Once there, they were soon joined by Campbell
on bass and drummer Bradley, a Midwestern Led Zeppelin/Depeche Mode
fan, a combination that clicked despite the fact the individual members
eventually discovered they were all very different people.“We
are all so fascinatingly different,” explains Bradley, who has been
playing in bands since she was 14, first as a guitarist then as a
drummer. “Tyler’s the quirky serious type who is really a goofball.
Branden’s the musical history encyclopedia. Chris is the manual labor.
Being in this band is like an arranged marriage where divorce is not an
option, and I’m ok with that.”Being signed to a major label hasn’t changed Neon Trees one bit.“Our
goal and how we play are still the same,” insists Tyler. “We’ve always
tried to evoke a larger-than-life feel, even if we’re playing to 10
people in a garage. We’re just trying to keep our feet on the ground
and remember why we started doing this in the first place.”“Music
is a sacred act of communion for me, offering hope and love,” says
Tyler. “That’s the heart of this band. Just like in life, though, you
need to have fun, too, you have to laugh and dance and sing. The songs
that last and get people to feel something are the ones they can sing
along to and really identify with.”“There’s so much breath to
what we do,” adds Elaine. “Every song represents a different aspect of
our sound. We don’t stick to a single formula. And we have the goods to
back it up live.”“Our favorite thing is playing live shows,
traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people,” adds Chris. “We just
want to share that feeling we got from the bands that inspired us, and
then We want to pass the torch.”With their major label debut, Habits, Neon Trees light the fire.