If indie and alternative rock bands are now a dime a dozen, the band Weathers serves to prove us all wrong. Forming in Los Angeles, Cameron Boyer, Cameron Olsen, Cole Carson and Brennen Bates all came together in 2015 and created Weathers, even though they hailed from different corners of the country.
It was a rather fixating moment, as this particular group of four would find themselves between the overlapping genres of indie rock and alternative rock. It’s a reality that most of the bands in this scene live, and it has been an intriguing journey to watch Weathers grow as a band.
“I Don’t Wanna Know” and “Happy Pills” were the band’s initial singles that were premiered shortly after they got together. These two songs did a spectacular job of introducing the band’s sound to a wider audience.
However, it was the latter that really made a splash, as it was listed in the top 50 songs of Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart in 2016. It was also the most added song on alternative radios everywhere for a new artist in the 2010s. However, despite their increasing popularity, Weathers didn’t release any more music until this year.
To start off 2018, the band released two EPs, forming two parts of a bigger whole, titled Kids In The Night – Part 1 and Kids In The Night – Part 2, in March and May, respectively. They helped generate a considerable amount of enthusiasm for the band, with the help of Spotify and radio play.
It was a culminating act, then, when Weathers finally released their debut studio album on June 22. With the auspicious name Kids In The Night, it brought together their fans’ favourite tracks from the EPs and added new songs to show everyone they meant business.
The album starts off with the emotionally charged “I’m Not Ok”. As an opener, it introduces a rather powerful statement: “So what if I’m not okay?” Boyer commented briefly on the song’s theme, stating, “It’s really kind of understanding that the bad experiences are only temporarily bad. It ultimately makes you a stronger person”.
It is, for the most part, about mental health – a theme that actually repeats itself throughout the album. It opens up a very important and much needed dialogue. The music is incredibly reminiscent of their earlier single, “I Don’t Wanna Know”, over “Happy Pills”, and finds itself veering towards a more overtly alternative sound, tentatively answering the big genre question, if only just for the moment.
“1983” was previously released as a single, and is coincidentally the only track off of Kids In The Night that currently sports a music video. The song describes the journey of a relationship, using a car ride as a metaphor.
One of the most prominent lyrics in this song can be found in the second verse, where Boyer repeats the line, “We made love and history”, leaving the listener to speculate how the story ends, despite Boyer then going on to sing “one last ride, one more time” several times throughout the song.
If there is one thing that can be said certainly about Weathers, it’s that they are incredibly good story tellers. These stories are made even more enthralling and captivating with the kind of music that is upbeat, even when the lyrics are not.
Another song that returns to the topic of mental health, as the album progresses, is “Carry Us Home”. It’s a rather impressive song, and the chorus reads out like a legitimate anthem: “Freaks go out, gonna drown our fears / brains go numb, bodies get so weird / we fight so hard for new vibration”.
The song is a blend of both alternative and indie, bringing out the band’s genre dilemma once again. At the same time, however, the chorus remains just as upbeat, and has the audience singing out in perfect unison.
The final song on the album, “Secret’s Safe With Me”, is a much softer and slower song than the rest of the album. As an album closer, it’s rather sombre; it’s a wistful track, and yet it evidently continues to speak out about mental health – only this time, it’s someone else’s. The lyric “is there anyone […] who’ll somehow set you free” is proof of this fact, but there is a certain duality to the song.
In the second verse, Boyer sings, “This illness is fucked up / it robbed me of your love / but I’m still here”, which easily refers to both the singer and the listener. It’s a rather poignant statement, reminding anyone listening that bad (mental) health goes both ways – a concept that was also brought up in “I’m Not Ok” – and that it’s okay to not be okay – as Boyer sings at the end of each chorus: “Your secret’s safe with me”.
Kids In The Night is an exceptional first album. For a band that has only been in the game for a few short years, this first step into the music industry is certainly outstanding and has the world waiting with bated breath for their future endeavours. As it is, Weathers will be going on tour in the United States, this September, so perhaps we’ll get to witness the authenticity that absolutely permeates this album.
Available on several platforms across the board, Kids In The Night by Weathers can be purchased from their official website, and iTunes, and you can stream it below via Spotify.
Words by Qurat-ul-anne Sikander
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So Great So Great! Incredible sound and such a joy to my soul. Watch the drummer & become transfixed! How are they not completely trending? Stay perfect lads!