Light Asylum
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

Light Asylum

lightasylumoutdoor2.jpg

Yet peel away the layers of their self-titled debut full length, and you’ll hear a band that has a keen ear for pop sensibilities – a band that is as concerned with how their music is seen as much as it’s heard.

Which is why, when my interview with Light Asylum commenced, I was able to chalk up their childish demeanour to nerves. Shannon Funchess (vocals/percussion) and Bruno Coviello (synths/drum machine) have been subject to a barrage of press as Light Asylum, their debut full length, has been making the rounds. TV On The Radio and Yacht have taken notice, recently asking the band to open for them on handfuls of dates throughout the US.

The band will be in Australia soon for the first time to perform at select cities, and their expectations are rather simple.

“Only that we will wow them,” says Coviello, reached on the phone from the band’s Brooklyn practice space. This comment is followed by a round of snickering. “Hopefully they’ll like hearing the music live as much as they have listening to it recorded.”

Coviello and Funchess are firm believers that the hooks within Light Asylum are prevalent enough and they will indeed woo their consistently growing fanbase.

When pressed on the demanding nature of the music, both Coviello and Funchess immediately get their backs against the wall. Yet when it’s put to them that Light Asylum is so much more than simple background noise, they take their compliments in earnest and describe just how demanding it was to write and record the album.

And they insist Light Asylum is only the beginning.

“We gave it our full attention,” says Funchess. “And we always try to be conscious of how much energy we put into it. This is only the introduction to the Light Asylum sound though. There’s much more to come.”

The duo are in agreement that their sound is only in its embryonic stages, and that further growth and evolution is not out of the question. Still, the band has fortified a good base to work with.

“Songs usually begin with a beat or a rhythm,” says Coviello of the song-writing process. “And that usually becomes the core of the energy. And from there we try to go from there. As far as pop sensibilities, we play a lot off each other and always try to just listen to stuff that sounds good. We try to go with that.”

Funchess is quick to chime in, expanding on the question. For her, the move to Light Asylum, from In Tension, their debut EP, was a natural step for the band and it allowed them to continue on the path they sound incredibly focused upon.

“We’ve always wanted to feature the sound, and really try to incorporate all the feelings that are an important part of this band,” she says, finally sounding sincere.

“We wanted to set our sights higher and continue the evolution of the sound. The full length was the introduction to our sound, whereas the EP was more of an introduction to the band.

Evidently, Light Asylum were keen to get the first impressions out of the way and move on rather quickly.

The impression which the band is intent on leaving is as much a visual as it is an aural one. Light Asylum is rich in texture, which may owe in part to both Coviello and Funchess’s upbringing in art schools in New York.

The balance between aural and visual is an important part of the band, Funchess insists. And it’s one she’d like to develop further.

“I wish we could incorporate more live visuals into our shows,” she says.

“Hopefully as our fanbase grows, we’ll be able to support different artists of different mediums into our live show. As far as the imagery goes, I think it’s very important that we consider everything. It’s important for us to consider how to bring our songs to life.”

“We’re into all mediums of art, we’re open to it. We’re artists as well. Bruno’s a renaissance man and I like surrealist painters,” she chuckles. There’s a biting sarcasm to the way she speaks, yet it’s not one that should beguile the band’s attempts to create an artistic platform that is ultimately engaging.

After all, when Funchess is asked about the headspace the band has to get into to write their music, she’s content to flip the question and detail how much of their music is about surviving as it is creating.

“It’s more about getting out of a headspace. We’re always trying to share what’s on our mind, be it exercising demons or maintaining a flow as far as our creative outlets are concerned. Sometimes we’re just trying to survive while living in New York, you know? When we signed with a record label, it was our intentions to reach a much bigger audience than the one we had, which was primarily just our friends in New York.”

Light Asylum certainly owe a debt of gratitude to New York City for their sound. There’s a palpable frantic energy within their tracks, one which represents not only the pulsing nightlife of New York City, but also the art it ultimately creates.

“In creating Light Asylum,” Funchess says, “we needed to have a balance between the light and the heavy.

BY JOSHUA KLOKE