Lightshore, a band new to Bloomington, will release a single called “Take It” May 7 on all platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Google Play.
The Lightshore band members moved to Bloomington about half a year ago and found a producer in the hopes of breaking into the local campus scene, said guitarist John Adame, age 30. The three band members plan to perform live gigs in town in the fall, Adame and vocalist Tito Baez, age 25, said. They are originally from Southwest Michigan.
Bassist Trent Ward, age 22, who is from Noblesville, Indiana, said “Take It” is inspired by personal struggles the band members have endured, such as mental illness. It is their first single recorded in a studio and something he said the band is proud of.
“I think the final product is the best that we’ve come up with,” Ward said. “It’s like you’re at the end of your wire. The song is that feeling.”
The band members said “Take It” only took them a half hour to record once they had the basic structure and idea of the song.
Each of the three band members wanted to connect to a wider audience through the new single, so Baez said he wrote nonspecific lyrics that more people will relate to. But the words come from lived experiences, Baez said.
“I think the biggest thing is that we like to draw from our experiences, and I’ve heard that a musician’s best music comes out when they’re facing adversity,” Baez said. “That’s something that we’re trying to overcome every day.”
“Take It” conveys that adversity.
Adame and Baez co-write the bulk of Lightshore’s songs. Adame writes the chord progressions and Baez writes the melodies, Adame said.
“Tito and I always have a creative tug-of-war,” Adame said. “But it always balances out.”
Ward gives the songs structure and adds bridges, and he said the conflict in their songwriting process leads to the best output. He described their music as an anthemic blend of indie and alternative rock.
Baez said Lightshore’s music is also like modern pop hard rock and is influenced by artists like the Killers, Young the Giant and Switchfoot. It’s a music style that resonated with audience members in past shows, while their lyrics resonated with the audience members who were battling issues like depression and suicidal thoughts.
“I like to hear when people say, ‘Your music helped me through the dark times,’” Adame said.
They hear it everywhere they go, Adame said.
All band members said they have a mantra — “Go see it” — to push them through uncomfortable experiences such as traveling around the U.S. and moving to Bloomington to make their music into a career.
They have a few song recordings on their platforms already that Adame and Baez said the band recorded in their kitchen, but they’ll take them down to make way for a new, evolved sound.
“We’re constantly working on new music, so expect to have a few releases this year,” Baez said. “Eventually it’ll culminate into an E.P.”
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