Signal Received: Inside the Strange Frequencies of Neon Rayon

Photo by Bruce Richards

Neon Rayon doesn’t just make music, they transmit it. Otherworldly, immersive, and just a little bit unhinged, their new EP, Transmutation, feels like a signal beamed in from another dimension. Wrapped in mystery and drenched in sci-fi mythology, the band blends cosmic theatrics with an earthbound sense of urgency. We tuned in to decode their frequencies, ask about decay, and find out what happens when a song is tested at the molecular level.

Neon Rayon seems to live in a world of its own. What did you leave out of this record on purpose? Anything that didn’t belong in the ecosystem? 

A few songs were left out on purpose, but only because they had yet to be completed when we recorded Transmutation. Two have since been completed and are performed regularly at our Earthly live transmissions.

How do you know when a track is finished, especially when you’re dealing with themes as layered and cosmic as yours? Is it instinct, deadline, or something weirder?

We have a lab in which we test our songs before completion. We know one is finished once it gets slightly under the decibel level at which molecular bonds break and matter disintegrates. It can get a bit messy.

There’s a lot of talk about transformation in your music, but what about decay? Does rot have a place in the Neon Rayon universe?

Yes. You cohabitate the same universe as us. We have come here to shine a light on the rot that takes place within your society. Transformation cannot take place within a system if the things that do not serve it are not allowed to perish, decay, and rot. 

Mint 400 has a pretty eclectic lineup. Has being part of that label shaped anything creatively for you? Even in subtle ways?

We have had help from label mates such as Yawn Mower regarding live transmissions and our music video for MHD (produced and directed by Biff Swenson). We are grateful to Mint 400 for having us, but our creative vision primarily comes from the directives sent to us from the home orb at Rayon HQ.

Were any of these songs originally meant to be something else—like a poem, a sketch, maybe even just a one-off idea that unexpectedly grew legs?

No. We are usually laser-focused when it comes to writing. 

What’s your relationship to silence? Is it part of your writing process, or something you try to drown out?

Silence is necessary for our writing process. We might spend days in the lab silently listening for ways to make the best possible music we can for our intentions on this planet.  

If someone pressed play on this EP without knowing a thing about you—no visuals, no background, no context—what’s the gut reaction you’d hope they have?

Shock and awe.

Before Neon Rayon came together, what other bands or projects were you involved in? We’re always curious how past chapters feed into something that feels this fully-formed.

The human vessels we inhabit have been in other bands and projects such as Hunchback, Gay Guy Straight Guy, Execütors, Ether Sunday, Black Wine, Forsooth!, Shut Up!, Nervous Triggers, Intimidation, Give Me Static, Psyched to Die, and more.