Lying somewhere between the complexity of progressive rock and the brawn of metal, San Francisco’s The Living have an emotional pull to their sound that clicks instantly. Offering atmosphere-drenched lead guitar work soaring over earthy riffs pitted against desperate wailing vocals and a driving rhythm section tinged with just enough complexity, their multi-dimensional sound has been born and crafted from raw feeling and countless hours toiling in their tiny San Francisco practice space..
The Living will release their self-titled debut September 22nd. The first single “Delay” will be available soon.
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“We recorded the album with Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden in the Bay area, where we’re from. We found a few days at the very end of December 2016 when most people would be visiting family and knocked it out. We recorded 11 songs and 75% of the entire recording process was done on the first day in the studio with the rest being completed in the following few days. It has a human and raw feel that sounds like it’s reaching for something. I’m really proud of the fact that the songs were born from jams in our practice space; almost nothing was composed prior to us jamming. Lyrically, it deals with love, deception, self-sabotage, isolation, and yearning. It turned out to be a very human rock album with touches of progressive rock, metal, shoegaze, and pop. It was an all-hands effort and we’re immensely proud,” states the band about their debut.
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Made up of Derek Barnes (vocals/guitar),
Julian Balestrieri (guitar), Jeremy Shepherd (bass) and Jason Zaru (drums), The Living formed in 2015, birthed from their longstanding friendships with each other. They pull many sounds into their music including shoegaze, progressive rock, metal, and pop, bridging the gap between genres and creating an environment in which their audience is greeted with the familiar sounds they know and love while discovering the band’s fresh approach. It’s this unique overlap, coupled with their devotion to an energetic live show and the human experience that goes along with it that has landed them gigs at San Francisco staples such as Brick & Mortar, El Rio, Hemlock, and Milk Bar, as well as radio rotation on sites such as 89.5 KPOO.
Julian Balestrieri (guitar), Jeremy Shepherd (bass) and Jason Zaru (drums), The Living formed in 2015, birthed from their longstanding friendships with each other. They pull many sounds into their music including shoegaze, progressive rock, metal, and pop, bridging the gap between genres and creating an environment in which their audience is greeted with the familiar sounds they know and love while discovering the band’s fresh approach. It’s this unique overlap, coupled with their devotion to an energetic live show and the human experience that goes along with it that has landed them gigs at San Francisco staples such as Brick & Mortar, El Rio, Hemlock, and Milk Bar, as well as radio rotation on sites such as 89.5 KPOO..
In August 2017, the band will embark on a West Coast tour in support of the album’s release. “We want to be remembered for emotional music built on strong songwriting,” the band explains. “We want people to connect with it in a very personal way.”
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