Indie-rock band Queue (k-you) from PA and D.C. released their debut EP Frames earlier this year.
Tracks:
1. Falling into Skies 2. Struggle 3. More 4. Tunnels 5. Wanderlove
The five friends that make up Queue are Olivia Price, Tyler Ringland, Aida Mekonnen, Dan Snelling and Steve Vannelli. They have provided us with “contemporary grooves with 80’s-inspired hooks and synths” in their Frames EP, and join that with ideas that are fresh and innovative while wonderfully paying tribute to music eras prior.
With almost ambient vibes and filled with nicely executed layers and textures, Frames is easy listening and mood-altering. All 5 tracks are unique but share aspects to them that beautifully allows Frames to be a uniform, composed, and well-balanced EP. You can sense each individual element, but quickly become engrossed within the way they effortlessly blend together.
‘Falling Skies’ and ‘Struggle’ are two songs that I found to be the most mesmerizing and intensely captivating. With the meaningful lyrics embraced by music that brings extra life to each word, it’s hard not to feel somethingwhile listening. What I specifically enjoyed about these two is I imagine that they will affect everyone differently. While everything is incorporated perfectly, there are bits and pieces that will stand out to you (probably subconsciously) and really build this impact that will not only satisfy you, but also leave you wanting to experience more.
The beginning of ‘Tunnels’ felt so distinctive compared to the first two tracks. It’s less ambient and has more of a rock sound – which I completely love. You can feel the contagious energy and passion. There’s this sort of acknowledgement that also seems a little troubled. It’s a good balance that is very understandable.
‘Wanderlove’ is my favorite due to the simplicity, flowing ease, and how its power remains vibrant and intact amongst the other tracks. There’s poignancy within the acoustic music, and the vocals in ‘Wanderlove’ send a strong message while displaying so smoothly. ‘More’ was also a track that really grasped my attention, and I think that’s because of the mystery it puts forth.
We also interviewed Queue! Check it out below:
For those who don’t know you yet, who is Queue? How would you define yourselves as a band?
Queue is the collaboration of best friends. We all met in college, while in other projects, and immediately bonded over our love of kitschy 80s rock ballads. We self-identify as a dream-pop rock band, attempting to balance modern songwriting with vintage-sounding guitar riffs and synths.
What do you think makes Frames such a special EP, and what was the writing/recording experience like? Were any of the songs more difficult than others?
Frames is such a diverse collection of sounds; you can actually hear all of our influences from track to track. Writing the songs was the easy part, we have tons and tons of demos; it was choosing which songs we wanted to record that proved to be most taxing. Ben Rice is our sensei/producer/engineer over at Degraw Sound in Brooklyn, and really challenged us to get these songs to where they needed to be – there was a lot of restructuring and writing done as we were recording which was a bit nerve wracking at times, but completely necessary and definitely got the adrenaline going.
Who are some of your inspirations as a group? How about individually?
We definitely have those huge iconic influences (think David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, The Smiths, Eddie Money); but we’ve also been really inspired by our friends, people we’ve played shows with, and bands that released singles at the same time as us. Really digging Swimming Tapes, Ten Fé, our dudes Eighty Ninety, and Tall Heights at the moment.
If you could describe what it’s like to go to one of your shows in 3 words, what would they be?
Relatable, approachable, charming.
What can people expect from you guys in the near future? I for one am very excited to see what’s next in Queue’s adventure!
We’re in the middle of writing new material that we’re really pumped about, we have a music video coming out, and we’re booking fall/winter shows, hopefully in a city near you.
Queue is a band full of passionate people who truly enjoy the process of making music and what it puts out into the world. I know that we will all be hearing a lot more from them soon! Follow them at the places below so you can stay on this ride!
Alex Kilgore, Untold Music Promotion
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