After over two decades of recording and touring with their individually prominent 90’s/early 00’s indie bands, the reconnection of Eric Richter (Christie Front Drive, Antarctica), Jeremy Gomez (Mineral, The Gloria Record), and John Anderson (Boys Life), and the formation of Suburban Eyes (taken from the Thelonius Monk piece of the same name) was not a calculated or premeditated event, but rather a response to the ringing of the phone.

“I think that one of the interesting things to me about this band is the fact that it was not really something that any of us necessarily set out to do – not in the traditional ‘let’s start a band’ sense anyway,” says Jeremy Gomez (bass/guitar/vocals). “It started as a way to reconnect as friends, and then as the three of us kept working together things just evolved naturally.”

“One day, out of the blue, I was contacted by Chris Simpson (Mineral, Mountain Time) about a musical project that he was helping get together and asked if I was interested,” says Eric Richter (vocals/guitar). I was very skeptical, but decided that I should at least give it a chance before crawling back under my rock. Suburban Eyes fell out of the sky for me, and at the perfect time.”

The group, in its original form, produced the single “Uncomplicated Lives,” but ultimately Simpson and fellow early collaborator Kerry McDonald moved onto other pursuits, and it was that moment that solidified the resolve of the remaining members to continue creating together.

While the members of Suburban Eyes collectively represent an impressive roster of previous projects, aside from their established DIY values and work ethic, the band does not rehash too much literal musical influence. Certainly each player brings their own unique sonic signatures that are identifiable to longtime listeners, but make no mistake – this is something new. “I think that all three of us are far enough removed from our past projects at this point. That’s not to say that you don’t continue to carry those things with you, but creatively speaking, none of us even gave [our previous bands] any thought, good or bad, when working on this project.”, says Gomez.

Where Suburban Eyes truly sets itself apart is its sonic duality, seamlessly finding an intersection between propulsion and drive, but interwoven with dreamy + shimmering soundscapes – all while retaining accessible pop structures and hooks. “I think we harnessed a dark but optimistic sounding blend of studio textures and loose organic performances,” says John Anderson (drums). “Jeremy has really honed his production skills through this process, and he has a great ear for who we are.”

While Gomez handled the bulk of the production and engineering, the album reached new heights with the introduction of Grammy Award-winning mixer Peter Katis (The National, Kurt Vile, Death Cab for Cutie). “We also knew that since this was going to be our introduction to the world that we wanted it to sound better than it would if it was just me fumbling and faking my way through the mixes,” says Gomez. “When Peter began working on the record, it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that there is a reason why he is a sought after mixing engineer. As we continued to finish the writing and pre-production process for the rest of the tracks, there was really no other choice but to have Peter continue to mix the rest of the album.”

Throughout the entire production process, the chemistry and alchemy between the bandmates continued to strengthen. While a departure from the traditional work-it-out in the studio approach gave way to a more introspective and virtual process, many challenges transitioned into opportunities as the band continuously honed the direction of the record. “This was the first time I have really challenged myself to sit down and write fully arranged songs. I’ve always been a band guy, working with others in a room and hashing out ideas and turning them into full songs. I’ve never been a songwriter in the traditional sense of the word. So the process was an exercise in pushing through and not just coming up with a cool [individual] part.” says Gomez. “All in all, it was an amazing thing to experience [the band] work off each other with a seemingly inherent clairvoyance.” adds Anderson.

In many ways, Suburban Eyes is a story of reconnection. But also a lesson also in taking things further than you thought was previously possible, but through different avenues. “The band really came at a perfect time for me. Aside from not really being able to do much of anything because of what was happening in 2020, musically I didn’t have anything going on either, so I jumped at the chance to try something new. It just feels really great to have rekindled my friendships with John and Eric, and to be able to create this collection of songs as effortlessly as we did. I haven’t been this creatively satisfied in a long time,” says Gomez. “Making this record has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Anderson adds. “I feel like Suburban Eyes is the most important band I’ve ever been in, and it doesn’t matter to me if the general public shares the sentiment.” Often with a pause, and the occasional cheeky comment, comes moments of clarity and perspective. Suburban Eyes represents both a dynamic and creative unpausing and inception of something powerful and newly inspired."

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