Alternative indie rockers LETSBEASTRONAUTS with a EP and some single's out, and all new music already being written, the future looks bright for these up and comers! The band has this discussion about their time together, music abilities, and much more below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
LetsBeAstronauts is Eddie Croco on vocals/keyboard, Brady Smythe on guitar, Clif McKee on bass, and Joe Barchi on drums. The band started around 2015 with just Brady and Eddie. They played together in a metal band for several years and after that band broke up in 2013, Eddie and Brady stayed friends and kept playing music together. They recorded the first LetsBeAstronauts song in 2015, the acoustic version of “Dark Hallways”. Brady played in some other bands for a few years and then came back to Eddie to revisit the LetsBeAstronauts idea around 2018-2019. They jammed together a bit and began working on song ideas, then started looking seriously for other members to fill out the band. They found Clif and our first drummer in early 2021 through Craigslist of all places. The ad said something like they were looking to form an alternative band and listed bands like American Football and Brand New as influences. So once we had all the members we started jamming every Sunday and some songs started to form. We played an open mic in 2022, but mostly focused on getting material recorded which took most of 2023 and we played our first real show at the end of 2023. We parted ways with our first drummer in early 2024, then found Joe around April. We’re really happy to be back as a four-piece and are stoked to play more live shows.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
It’s something that Eddie and Brady would say when they were hanging out and smoking together. So it’s kind of a funny inside joke, but it works as a nice shorthand for what we try to achieve with our music. We want to invite listeners into our songs and get a little lost.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We’re from Baltimore in the US. Our members are a little spread out within Maryland, but we practice at Brady’s house just south of the city. The Baltimore music scene is super active and supportive of local bands. There’s a good number of venues around the city and nearby suburbs that have acts playing pretty much every night. And there’s a nice mix of genres, from hardcore punk and metal, to more indie/alternative acts, and a good jazz scene as well. Just a ton of talent and energy. Baltimore has produced a bunch of awesome bands – Turnstile, End It, Pianos Become the Teeth, and Beach House are a few that we love. And for some up and coming bands, check out Talking to Shadows for some great shoegaze, Eyelet or Pavonine if you’re into post-hardcore/emo, and Jetty Grove or Fly by the Seat for more of an indie vibe.
4. How would you describe your style?
All four of us have a pretty varied musical diet, so that gets reflected in our songs. We just say alternative/indie rock as an umbrella term, but there’s certainly some punk and metal in there, and even some progressive rock and math rock. Our first single “Close Your Eyes” is a pretty straightforward pop punk song and “Glass House Half Empty” is very 90s alt-rock – people say it reminds them of Coldplay. But then you have a song like “Overdose” that is more experimental in its song structure and has a heavier edge to it at the end.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We released our first EP “(lovely)” in October 2023 and “Close Your Eyes” is the first single off of that release. We released our newest single “Surgery from a Doctor with Broken Hands” in March 2024. With just guitar, bass, and occasional keyboard, we try to layer in a lot of interesting melodic elements but also leave some space for the songs to breathe and get quiet so we can build them back up again. We like to play with dynamics and groove a lot, just whatever the song calls for and makes sense musically. We often compose the music first and then write lyrics later. In that way the singing is used like an instrument, but we also want the lyrics to tell a story and set the overall feel for the song.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We’re in the process of writing the songs for another EP that we hope to record in 2025. The plan for the rest of this year is to play more shows, promote our existing music, and release some music videos. But we’re very excited for the new songs we are writing because we feel like our songwriting is getting tighter as we continue to play together.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We have some more shows around the Baltimore area booked for this fall. We’d like to branch out and play more shows in Washington DC and maybe Philadelphia. Touring isn’t something we’re planning yet – tough to schedule around work and family – but a regional tour around the East Coast is something we’re definitely interested in for the future.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Keep the train running and keep writing! We like to say “no limits” in terms of our songwriting, but I think that also extends to our trajectory as a band. We’re going to continue to write the best music we can, attract a bigger following, and see where that takes us.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can find links to our music at https://linktr.ee/letsbeastronauts and can purchase our EP on Bandcamp or Apple Music. Check out our new music video for “Surgery from a Doctor with Broken Hands” on YouTube.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
We have some nice vocal melodies that can get caught in your head, and the authentic lyrics will hopefully strike some emotional notes for listeners. It’s good headphones music with lots of layers if you pay close attention.
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