Low Phase are a band that shows an abundance of vigour from the Grand Rapids. Moulded with an indie punk rock underbelly, the quartet are making waves in their scene and beyond. With frontman Caleb Waldvogel’s songwriting offering listeners a unique take on the genre aforementioned, and it brings a real sense of purpose and potential.
Their latest single 'Sideline' is an explosive indie rock concourse of rifling guitars, soaring vocals and massive sonics that will hold any rock lover's attention. We sat down with them at FLEX to chat everything Low Phase.
Your latest single 'Sideline' is quite a personal song, was that hard to come to terms with and unleash to the world?
Not particularly. Felt more like a big exhale at the end of a very long and arduous journey. While the song does touch a lot on a strained personal relationship, it is meant to be a self reflection piece for when I needed it most. Now that the song is released and we have been playing it for over a year live, the song takes on a completely different skin at this point, one that is goofy and filled with onstage smirks and sing along chants.
You hold a real individual indie rock style, who are your main influences?
Not sure why this is, but 90’s alternative rock seems to be the sound our songwriting naturally gravitates towards. We all pull inspiration from completely different places at completely different times, but that’s how we keep things as fresh as possible. I know we are all big fans of Hop Along, Big Thief, and Bowie, all of which are easily recognisable in the first couple seconds of a song. Just for some individual representation here are some favourites from each member.
Marley - Depeche Mode
Miles - Pinegrove
John - Sufjan Stevens
Caleb - Brittany Howard
Is new single 'Sideline' part of a bigger project or upcoming album?
Absolutely! We have our next single, “Doctor”, coming out on August 23rd and plan to have another single released in late fall. We are working towards our first full length. No complete release planned quite yet, but I assure you that we are working towards it as quickly as possible.
Stream 'Sideline' here:
The chant part of the song is something you don't hear as often nowadays and it is very well placed. Was this always the intention for this track?
We appreciate it! That was never really the intention for this track. The chant was the absolute last thing recorded in this song, but we are so damn glad it is in there. I remember thinking the bridge sounded a little empty when listening back to our original demo. At the end of a band practice I off handedly mentioned the possibility of group vocals filling that space. The next day our drummer, Miles, showed up with the lyrics for the chant in place now. So hats off to miles, we have him to thank for it!
And lastly, what's next for Low Phase?
Lots and lots of shows and lots and lots of new music! We are definitely riding the high of our first release and have a lot of drive and motivation left in us, so we plan to keep writing and recording and performing as long as possible. Keep an eye out!