Acclaimed Austin-based artists The Bright Light Social Hour and Israel Nash have released a visualizer video to accompany their three-song collaborative EP, Neighbors. In an exclusive interview with the Austin Chronicle, Jack O’Brien (TBLSH) describes the process of creating the trippy visuals, “[Artist}] Ryan Padgett actually took some of the pieces of artwork from the EP and invented this scene where you have this vibe of flying over it. It’s just something to drop you into the floating downstream state of mind while you listen to the songs.”
The bands released the EP both digitally and on a limited edition run of 500 copies 7” vinyl, available for purchase here. The collaboration between Israel Nash and The Bright Light Social Hour came to fruition naturally, as the two bands often crossed paths in their home-base of Austin, as neighbors and friends. Sharing similar musical and political sentiments, the artists recorded Neighbors together by hopping between Israel Nash’s studio Plum Creek Sound and TBLSH’s Escondido Sound studio over the span of a week this summer. Swapping instruments, band members and socio-political conversation, the Neighbors EP meshes the signature sonics of both Israel Nash’s soaring vocals over Eric Swanson’s sweeping, haunting pedal steel and The Bright Light Social Hour’s driving percussion, soulful vocals and deep textures to expand the musical landscapes we’ve grown to know from both bands.
In conversation with The Austin Chronicle, Nash described the collaboration process, “It was organic. I haven’t done a lot of collaboration and the Bright Light guys hadn’t either, so there was that fear of not knowing what people expect of you… Most of the writing was done collectively and it was great to share that experience with them. The beauty of people coming together, whether it’s music or something else, is that progression happens and ideas happen, and people move forward together”
Jack states, “The original plan was just to release a split 7-inch – one Israel song, one Bright Light song – and not really collaborate, but then we decided to get together and see what happened. After the idea that became “Lupita,” we knew we had to do more than one song, so it turned into a three-song EP. Pretty immediately we were feeling that fresh excitement. The four of us in the Bright Light Social Hour are very protective of our little circle, but working with Israel proved to be super natural.”
The Bright Light Social Hour is Jack O’Brien, Curtis Roush, Joseph Mirasole and Edward Braillif.
Israel Nash is Israel Nash, Aaron McClellan, Joey McClellan, Eric Swanson and Joshua Fleischmann.
Recent Praise for Neighbors:
“This unlikely pairing of jam band rockers The Bright Light Social Hour and country rock troubadour Israel Nash makes for a collaboration that results in lush arrangements replete with pedal steel and Nash’s recognizable nasal drawl. These jangly songs invoke 1970s West Coast country, offering a perfect soundtrack to a sunset drive.” – Austin Monthly
“”Lupita” essays a couple looking for a better life and the hardships they endure over a soaring musical bed that makes it hard to tell where Israel Nash begins and The Bright Light Social Hour takes over. “The Forest” simmers and haunts, and ultimately evokes Pink Floyd, leaving one hoping these two Austin acts remain Neighbors.” – Austin Chronicle
“…these three songs are an auspicious pairing of two prominent local acts who separately have pushed psychedelia in fascinating rock and folk directions, respectively. There’s clearly enough common ground between them for this to make a lot of sense, and the results push both acts into territory they might not have explored on their own ” – Austin American Statesman
“the three-track effort fuses Nash’s psychedelic desert-folk rock with BLSH’s shimmery 1970s vibe.” – JamBase
