Photo credit: Dave Zylstra/Shepherd Express
Most bands are not democracies. They may start that way, but a clear leader almost always emerges, usually a songwriter or front-person whose vision shapes the group just a little bit—or often a lot bit—more than anybody else’s. Some bands are so on the same page, though, that there’s no need for a designated leader, and few local bands are more on the same page than Estates.
Guitarist Mike Carini, bassist Charlie Markowiak and drummer Matt Tomashek all share the same love for emo, particularly the alternative-leaning, late-’90s emo of acts like Hum, Mineral and Jimmy Eat World. The three split songwriting more or less evenly, and they take the same communal approach to singing, too. At times their voices overlap so much that even their family members probably couldn’t consistently distinguish one from the other. You get the sense that if all three members ever showed up to band practice wearing the same T-shirt, none of them would be all that surprised.
“I think the three of us just connect really well,” says Carini. “From our influences to what we enjoy writing, I think we just create songs really well together. We all have the same focus. It’s pretty easy for us to knock out a song, because we all have something to bring to the group, and we’ve become so good at communicating with each other.”
From the beginning, Estates have embraced their comparisons to Hum, whose 1995 album You’d Prefer an Astronaut served as a guiding muse on the group’s 2013 debut album Gleam and their self-titled EP last year. Hum’s influence continues to linger, if not quite as overtly, on Estates’ latest record, It’s Great to Be Alone, which they’ll release May 26 on Flannel Gurl Records.
The album is the culmination of a year’s worth of writing, though it was recorded more or less in one weekend. Joined once again by producer Shane Hochstetler, the band tracked the record at Hum guitarist Matt Talbott’s Earth Analog studios near Champaign, Ill. By all accounts, it was a wonderful experience. The band got to play on some expensive equipment and record in a beautiful room, while Talbott and Hochstetler geeked out over gear. And in the end, they emerged with a great-sounding record, albeit one that doesn’t sound like what you might have expected from the group’s priciest, most labored-over album.
It’s Great to Be Alone is purposefully lean and less showy than its predecessors. Most of its songs clock in at around two minutes; the longest is just a hair over three and half. Even the group was surprised by the record’s brevity. They’d just invested a year into this project, and emerged with less than 25 minutes of music. Tomashek initially wondered if it’d be enough.
“At first Matt was like, ‘Maybe we should write a few extra songs,’ and I assured him through our process we already had,” Carini says. “It’s a 10-song album, but we wrote more than 10 songs worth of material for it; we just edited out what didn’t work. If it didn’t fit the vibe, we didn’t record it. So we gave everything to this album.”
They agreed that the album would make more of a statement if they left it as it was. Its short runtime seemed in keeping with the material.
“The record is really an open book,” says Tomashek. “If you listen to the songs or read the lyrics, then you understand where we’re coming from. This record really shows a little bit of each of us, what we like to write, and what we’re feeling at the moment. This band is essentially three different songwriters, writing songs together—a solitary thought, turned into a group effort. I feel like we really found our true sound on this record.”
Estates play an album release show on Monday, May 25 at 7 p.m. at Cocoon Room with Aviator, Marcy and Eaten By Trees. Cover is $5.
