New album reflects depth of the indie, folk rock band

When the song “Ho Hey” plays on the radio, it is almost guaranteed that everyone will at least pretend to know the lyrics by singing those two simple words. And “simple” perfectly describes the Lumineers’ approach in creating their 2012 album, The Lumineers. In a technical sense, they say that they craft their music in such a way that it oozes simplicity, which is much different from the overwhelming music of today. If you are interested in listening to humble melodies juxtaposed by meaningful lyrics, listen to “Stubborn Love” and “Dead Sea.” As the lead singer, Wesley Keith Schultz, said on the band’s website, “We want to focus on the core, not the illusion.”

The co-founders of the band, Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Keith Schultz, began writing music as a way to handle the death of Fraites’ brother and Schultz’s friend, Josh Fraites. Although it has been approximately four years since they have released an album, their newly released album Cleopatra has a similar nature to The Lumineers, and it captures experiences of everyday people in all their roughness. The songs echo unique, strong narratives; the song “Cleopatra” was inspired by a personal tragedy told by a taxi driver whom Schultz encountered. Schultz says on band’s website,“People create stories about themselves through social media which are completely disconnected from what we personally know about their lives. I felt cleansed to be around someone who was just telling me how it actually was for them”.

The process of creating Cleopatra reflects the Lumineers’ down-to-earth spirit: they spent six months recording and writing in a small cabin in Colorado. And by being away from it all, Schultz and Fraites reflected upon their ten-year journey together up until that moment.

The haunting, dramatic sound of Cleopatra portrays the finely thought-out and detailed process of composing the narrative in each song.  Fraites says on the band’s website,“The concept behind the writing stayed the same, which is that you have to be able to strip it all the way back, and find the essence.” The song “Sleep On the Floor” tells the story about a couple fleeing their hometown. It explores the idea of risking the familiar to venture out into the unknown, without looking back on the consequences. As Schultz sings, “’Cause if we don’t leave this town / We might never make it out / I was not born to drown, baby come on,” a sense of urgency is present in desiring to flee to a place where starting over seems more attractive.

In their music, the Lumineers express the reality of people’s everyday lives, packed with inevitable emotion and struggle. The pride they have in their work is evident, and their humility is showcased in their 4-year effort to craft a new album.

Abbie Scanlon, a freshman at Saint Mary’s College, said to the Rover, “I think the song ‘Angela’ perfectly shows their honesty; they’re not just writing lyrics to make a hit, but they’re writing because they want to, and as a result, they’re producing honest and meaningful music.”

Marta Brown is a freshman at Saint Mary’s College studying Studio Art. Along with Culture & Thought Editor Crystal Avila, Marta travelled to Rome to participate in the 49th annual Univ Conference in Rome. If you need any more music suggestions or have any questions, you can contact her at martab0203@gmail.com.