Tag: Brainville Studios

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

El Paso, TX-based shoegazers EEP  — Rosie Varela (guitar, synth, bass), Brainville Studios‘ owner Ross Ingram (guitar, production), Sebastian Estrada (bass, synth), Serge Carrasco (guitar), and Lawrence Brown III (drums and percussion) — can trace their origins back to 2019 when founding member Rosie Varela approached Ross Ingram for his help to record a song she had just written at the time, titled “Hogar.” Varela then invited a collection of local music scene friends to help flesh out the song. What initially started out as a one-off song, quickly morphed into EEP, and their full-length debut, Death of a Very Good Machine.

Inspired by dream pop, shoegaze, the blues, jazz, classic rock and 60s psychedelia, the El Paso-based shoegazer outfit have managed to do things in a proudly DIY fashion: Death of a Very Good Machine was produced, engineered and mixed by the band’s Ingram with assistance from Estrada and Varela. Adding to the we’re-all-in-it-together ethos, each of the band’s five members contributed both backing and lead vocals to the album’s material.

The members of EEP managed to maintain the momentum of last year’s debut — despite the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic. Written during pandemic-related lockdowns and quarantines, the El Paso-based quintet’s forthcoming sophomore effort Winter Skin reportedly finds the band expanding upon and deepening their exploratory take on shoegaze and dream pop.

A key component of the band’s evolution is the fact that there are no set roles within the band. While each of the individual members may have their main instrument, they’re all open to swapping out a guitar for a synth or helping with lyrics as needed. “None of the roles are rigid,” EEP’s Ingram says. “Which is part of what makes it exciting and fun, and part of why ended up with a record that’s got a lot of depth and variety to it, while still having a coherent sound.”

Winter Skin‘s first single “A Message to You” sees the band creating a song that sonically — to my ears, at least — is a synthesis of RIDE, Slowdive, and My Bloody Valentine-like shoegaze textures and early 90s grunge centered around the band’s unerring knack for crafting enormous, power chord-driven, arena rock friendly hooks paired with call and response-like vocals. Underneath the towering power chords, thunderous power chords and thunderous drumming is an earnest and empathetic plea to the heartbroken that simply says “I get it and I get you. It’s okay to be not okay.”

Winter Skin is slated for a November 5, 2021 release.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: El Paso’s EEP Releases a Defiant and Brash Take on Shoegaze

EEP is an emerging El Paso, TX-based, multi-generational shoegazer act featuring 52 year-old Rosie Varela (guitar, synth, bass), 38 year-old Brainville Studios’ owner Ross Ingram (guitar, production), 30 year-old Sebastian Estrada (bass, synth), 27 year-old Serge Carrasco (guitar) and 28 year-old Lawrence Brown III (drums and percussion). The act, which formed last year can trace its origins to when Varela approached Ingram and asked him if he would help her record a song she had written “Hogar.” Eventually, Varela invited some other local musician friends to join in and what initially started out as a one-off song morphed into EEP’s full-length debut Death of a Very Good Machine slated for a July 24, 2020 release. 

Inspired by dream pop, shoegaze, the blues, jazz, classic rock and 60s psychedelia, the El Paso-based quintet have ascribed to doing things in a decided DIY fashion: their debut effort was produced, engineered and mixed by the band’s Ingram with assistance from Estrada and Varela. Adding to the we’re-all-in-it-together vibes, each of the band’s five members contribute vocals. 

Death of a Very Good Machine’s latest single “Outlast You” continues a run of attention grabbing singles that recall 120 Minutes era MTV shoegaze — i.e., Slowdive, RIDE, Lush, and Swervedriver, as well as contemporaries like JOVM mainstays Blushing and others. And while centered around a wall of sound-like production featuring layers upon layers of shimmering, pedal effected guitars, thunderous drumming and a soaring hook, the song possesses the self-assured and defiant air of someone, who’s been told no and will continue onward anyway. Interestingly, “Outlast You,” as the band explains in an email was inspired by a conversation in which Rosie Varela was told that maybe at 52, she was too old to start a rock band. “Outlast You” was her response to that conversation.