At Face Value have gone through quite a few changes to get to where they are now. From member changes, a name change and miles of growth as musicians, this group has evolved a lot since the release of their 2016 EP, Thick As Thieves. Now, they’re celebrating the release of their newest effort, Ivy And Echo, which finds At Face Value stepping out of their comfort zone more than ever before.
With Ivy And Echo out now, 2018 is just getting started for these guys, who have plenty in store for fans, from music videos to more shows and even an acoustic EP in the future! Read a little bit more about Ivy And Echo and At Face Value’s musical journey below!
Interview by Dom Bigil
You guys kicked the year off with the release of your new single, “Cinderella” followed by the release of your new EP! What are you the most excited for fans to hear on Ivy and Echo?
Well other than just the whole thing itself, if we had to single out one song we would probably go with “24, Still Not Liked”. It’s a perfect song for representing what our true sound is and it’s just down right fun to play. We also plan to do a music video for it in the near future so keep a lookout!
The last time we caught up with you guys, you had just released your EP, Thick As Thieves. In the two years since then, how do you feel you’ve grown as a band?
Well, we grew in terms of members. We experimented with a couple bassists and landed upon our good friend, Mike. In terms of the music, I think we definitely grew as musicians. This EP challenged us and we challenged each other as well. Not to mention, Alec’s voice has become ever more beautiful.
What changes or noticeable areas of growth can listeners expect with Ivy and Echo?
It might not as “poppy” as our previous releases but in terms of the instrumentation it’s definitely a step up. But don’t worry, we still keep our Face Value/At Face Value sound and feel. Also, have we mentioned Alec sounds even more gorgeous?
What goals did you have in mind when you first started working on the new EP?
I think we just wanted to do something a little different and in a sense get out of our comfort zones. I can remember not liking LOTR when Gray and Jeb first pitched it to me. I thought it was a little too out there but now I can honestly say it’s my favorite track on this EP.
Well expenses are always a bit stressful and recording as we all know isn’t a small purchase. However, I think that if you love the music enough you’ll always find a way to manage the finances. We had to travel out to Indiana to record it which was a bit of a challenge in itself but it also made for a damn good time.
On the flip side, what were the most rewarding moments of the writing and recording process?
Finally hearing the songs done!! It’s always such a surreal feeling once you hear the final product and it just sounds so much better than you expect. And like I said before, recording is such a good time and the week we were out recording just brought us all closer together as band mates and friends, not to sound corny. Being in a band can be stressful and feel like a job at some points but the reward is just the good times and good laughs during the process.
With Ivy and Echo out now, do you have any plans to hit the road? Any shows coming up?
As of right now, we don’t have any tours in the works but we plan to possibly do some weekend trips this summer. As far as shows, we have a couple smaller gigs in the coming month but some bigger ones this summer. You can catch us at The Raven Inn in Baltimore in July or you can see us playing the outdoor main stage at Power Plant Live in Baltimore in early June.
Do you have any other big goals for the rest of 2018?
But of course! We have been doing some other little projects in the midst of the Ivy and Echo release that we will be sharing with you in the coming months. Maybe a couple music videos, a couple more songs, an acoustic EP *cough cough*
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for chatting with us as well! I think the only thing to add is just to check us out on all the socials and music sharing sites, if you have time check out our videos on YouTube, and if you can make it out to a show we’d love to meet some new fans. We also have some sick merch that you can snag from us so just hit us up!!
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