Between Symmetries grew out of Savannah’s vibrant DIY scene and quickly established itself as a band to take seriously. Their first album Movetur was premiered by CMJ, and the band has made a name for itself across the region with compelling live shows like the one a couple of weeks ago at 529 in Atlanta.
Between Symmetries now has their next record in the works — the 9-song EP Silhouettes will be recorded in May and released midsummer.
“Every song will be named after a Savannah venue,” frontman Adam Jenkins told me a couple of days ago, as we talked about the project in the sunny courtyard at Foxy Loxy. “We want to inspire hope and bring people together.”
As regular readers know, we’ve faced some issues with local venues — issues that have come to the fore in other cities too. City policies have hamstrung attempts at all-ages or even 18+ venues, we’ve had questionable complaints from neighbors about noise, the current noise ordinance is contradictory and unworkable, and DIY venues have faced greater scrutiny.
Jenkins hopes Silhouettes’ emphasis on individual venues will bring attention to the larger problems faced by Savannah’s music community.
“The concept is going to have elements of all those places in it,” Jenkins said. The spirit of the local music community will be a thread connecting the songs, but expect “Hang Fire” to have some “poppy” sounds, while “The Furnace” will capture the heavier, harsher vibe of the now-closed DIY venue.
Jenkins told me that lyrically the new songs reflect “life’s struggles” — including broken relationships, shitty jobs, and failed expectations. And he doesn’t just mean “relationships” in a romantic way: the new work tackles some of the problems within his own family.
Jenkins also said that the overarching sound of this new work is different than the hard rock, post-hardcore, and punk influences heard on Movetur.
“We’ll probably get the emo tag pinned on us hard,” Jenkins laughed. He describes the EP as an “indie, emo, shoegaze thing” that will still be a “wall of sound.”
“This record is what I want everyone to know,” Jenkins added. “This is the ultimate thank you to the city.”
Jenkins and his bandmates — Michael Britt on drums, Daniel Sheehan on guitar, and Jack Nave on bass — hope to tour much more widely in the second half of 2016. This is obviously quick work considering that Between Symmetries played their first public show just over a year ago in the sweaty basement of Sweet Melissa’s, but Jenkins has felt that music was his true calling ever since his plans to play college basketball were ended by an injured MCL.
We’ll obviously have more info in the future. Between Symmetries’ next gig is April 8 at The Jinx.
Between Symmetries at the Black Box on Henry Street