Negotiations, the fifth full-length release from...

Negotiations, the fifth full-length release from the Helio Sequence will be released by Sub Pop Records on September 11th. And with every record, there’s often a story to its creation and the influences behind it. In the case of the Helio Sequence, this album may have sounded a lot different had it not been for a flood. While on tour to support Keep Your Eyes Ahead, vocalist/guitarist Brandon Summers got a frantic phone call in the middle of the night — the band’s studio/practice space, located in Portland, OR was under a foot of water. Torrential rains had caused the building’s plumbing to overflow. Luckily Summers and bandmate Benjamin Weikel brought their best equipment with them on tour, and the remaining instruments and equipment were placed on shelving high enough to be spared.

With their space destroyed, they needed new studio space and after three months of searching they found a much larger space. And with larger space, it gave them more room for more equipment and the ability to record whenever they needed or wanted since they no longer had to schedule their sessions around those of others. They wanted to do something different, and what they did was eschew digital equipment, bought vintage instruments and gear, including analog recording equipment — with the idea that they wanted to create a warmer, richer sound.

Now when I heard the first single off their forthcoming album, “October,” I had two things come to mind — the first was thatI was struck by how beautiful the song sounded. But the line “There will be a next time,” just reminded me of several friends who have gone through bouts of heartbreak, and it serves as a hopeful reminder, I think.

The band will be on a lengthy tour starting in September to support their new album, and it’ll include a November 15th stop at the Bowery Ballroom.

August 10th

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