LA's very own MetronOhm are thrilled to announce the release of their new single "Without "Without". The band can be caught performing around LA venues such as The Echo, Resident LA, Bootleg Theater, The Mint as well as warehouse and DIY spaces. With numerous local festivals under their belt including Echo Park Rising Broke LA and Chinatown Summer Nights with KCRW, LA Weekly and more, the band shows no signs of slowing down. Travelling to Albuquerque to perform in Sister and SXSW at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco this up-and-coming band has been described as “a much needed dose of tranquility in this chaotic world” by Jonathan Reynoso of SF Sonic.
Sit back and relax because this mellow track is going to leave you with a sense of serenity. Hunter Craig introduces us to a laid-back sound that has us drifting away in our heads with the initial beats from the bass and keyboard. Annabelle Maginnis has a stunning tone of voice that is extremely peaceful to listen to and is complemented with comforting low harmonies from Kofi Asare-Aboagye, who also uses the Stratocaster guitar chords to bring extra personality to this vivacious song. I personally love songs that make you think about your life, question certain aspects and leave you wondering like this revitalizing song has done. With lyrics at the beginning on the song asking “How you gonna dream if you can’t even sleep?” and a deep, thought provoking question during the chorus of “What’s within without without?” this song is leaving the listener reflecting on what is already present in their life internally. Finishing off strong with Annabelle on the NS WAV-5 electric violin with the Fender Full Moon Distortion pedal giving this song a very ominous sound. MetronOhm definitely knows how to keep the rhythm going and keeping their listeners wanting more.
Listen to "Without Without here and get to know more about MetronOhm in our interview below!
Hey MetronOhm! What a phenomenal single! Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?
Thanks! Glad you enjoy! MetronOhm is a combination of my friends Kofi Asare-Aboagye (Guitar, Vocals), Hunter Craig (Bass, Keys) and myself, Annabelle Maginnis (Vocals, Mandolin, Violin, Uke). We perform and get informed mainly in Los Angeles, so far visiting San Francisco and Austin (SXSW) as well.
This song was full of different styles and sounds, what has inspired you to create such a unique track?
We wrote this song together over a series of nights. Our writing process involved the three of us piecing together different small ideas to create one song. Each of us brings different expertise to the table. “Without Without” started when Hunter presented the main chord progression and structure of the song to the group. Kofi threw in the other chord progression for the outro. I wrote the melody and lyrics and played violin. Building the composition together was kind of a jigsaw puzzle that made more sense as we kept going.
While putting the final touches to the song we added production elements that we felt emphasized a feeling of exhaustion and restlessness especially in the outro which is designed to be something of a nightmare sequence. In this section, I used Fender’s Full Moon Distortion pedal through my NS electric WAV-5 violin to add a level of grit. The violin stacks almost take on the tone of a swarming bee-hive, transitioning from a dream-scape to something a bit more haunting.
When did you all initially start writing music and have you found any challenges along the way?
Kofi and I have been writing music together for about 7 years but started doing it in LA as MetronOhm in 2016. The two of us worked with lots of other musicians for performances but found a great fit for the group in our bassist and producer of this song, Hunter who joined and started writing with us in 2017.
There are always challenges to creating though. With this song in particular, it was refreshing to have full and direct control over the process. We got to choose the location and scheduling of our sessions, pick the instruments and plugins we wanted to use and craft the overall feel for our new song. It didn’t make things easy though. Creative control gives artists a larger sandbox, so to speak. The tools and options you have expand significantly but the task falls on you to choose the right tools and select the right options. This results in hours spent fine tuning sounds, restructuring, re-recording - doing whatever we can to get the song right! It’s all worth it though when you turn to the group and say “I think it’s . . .ready!”
There are a lot of questions scattered throughout this creative song, what is the meaning behind it?
Ultimately, this song is about being without resources. Whether emotional or physical. It’s so easy to compare the self to others who seem to have so much. Access. Wealth. Knowledge. Talent. Time! Whatever the factor may be. “What’s within without without?” begs a big question; what really matters? To answer your question with more questions.
What else can we expect from MetronOhm in 2019?
We’ll be premiering a new single and music Video In May for our song Make it Last and will be releasing more after that. Stay tuned!
Connect with MetronOhm on social media:
Instgram: www.instagram.com/metronohmmusic Facebook: www.facebook.com/MetronOhmMusic Twitter: www.twitter.com/metronohmmusic