First and foremost, congratulations on the announcement of your sophomore solo EP “Ithaca”. Before we get into the project, what have you been up to this past year?

• Thank you! Honestly, I have been taking a lot of time to slow down and focus on writing. Last year, I was playing more frequently than I ever had before; From our weekly residency to playing my first festivals, 2022 was such an exciting and insightful time. Since then, I have been really enjoying my time offstage to slow down, focus on my production & explore my deeper vision for the Weir project both sonically and visually. With that said, I am really excited to get back on the road & share all these new songs live.

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When did you start working on Ithaca and how did the project eventually come together?

• The idea actually came about very gradually…I wrote one of the songs back in November of 2021 and have been playing it out routinely since then. It wasn’t until after going to Electric Forest last Summer that I wrote “Enter”; As I was wrapping that track up, I realized there was a strong connection between the two and had the idea of tying them together with a larger project. So, I wrote another track in between, which ended up becoming “Canopy”. With the 3 tracks all done, I still felt as though there was more of a story to tell, so I wrote another. And then, 4 still felt abrupt and I added a 5th to tie everything together. There was essentially no idea at the start but as I wrote, the concept came together which really helped develop more of the music in a more intentional way. 
• As far as struggles go, this project just means a lot to me. I have never felt more proud of my production and storytelling capabilities than I have through these songs - I feel like I really cracked into a sound that I have been scratching at for so long which resulted in what I feel is my most authentic music yet. But because it’s so authentic, it’s also very vulnerable for me to write, let alone share. I was just feeling more and more self-conscious because to me, this project is the most intimate expression of who I really am and what inspires me - Not only as an artist but as a person. Sharing that was more intimidating than it has been with previous releases, which I finally came to learn is a good thing. This project helped me realize the importance of trusting your gut and leaning into what feels right for you as an artist. 

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Are there any sounds or techniques in “Canopy” that are recurring throughout the upcoming EP?

• Biggest thing with this project was using similar sounds throughout the EP - Not only synths & percussion, but also field recordings. Every song on the project, including “Canopy”, features this bell sound which is a recording I took outside my parent’s house in Santa Fe. This bell along with so many other sounds are featured throughout the EP which further helped build “Ithaca” into a more cinematic audio-visual world.

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Listen to Canopy on all platforms here

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What are some of your favorite production aspects of Canopy?

• I am really stoked on the drums in this piece, specifically the clap - The clap is made of a bunch of different layers all reversing into each other to get a more squishy, jungly feel. Also, I sidechain-gated the claps to some rain sounds that I recorded years ago, so everytime the clap hits, you hear a splash of water. From there, I modulated the release on the gate to essentially change the duration of the splash and could fully draw it out into the rain sample as a transitional element. I am really stoked on how that came together and how it helps tie the song to the world surrounding what this project really is on an audio-visual level (shoutout to mxxnwatchers for the tech).

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Beyond the Ithaca EP, is there anything else upcoming that you are excited about?

• I will be making my return to Syndicate SLC the day after my EP comes out - Syndicate throws some of my favorite parties I have ever been to so I am beyond stoked to return for my 3rd show with this amazing community supporting Dreamer’s Delight & The Sponges.
• Beyond that, I plan to debut my solo live set this Summer with hopes of taking it on the road later this year. The Weir live set has been on my mind long before my first official release; Seeing acts like Rufus, Odesza & Big Wild back in 2015 really inspired me to pursue music so I am really excited to finally showcase what I have been brainstorming behind the scenes for so many years. Although I love DJ-ing and will continue to play on decks for some shows, I am excited to branch out and showcase a new form of storytelling and flow that I think will better represent me and my vision as an artist. Stoked to share this next step in the Weir evolution from the studio and onstage.

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Keep an eye out for Weir’s Ithaca EP dropping June 2nd.

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Weir @ Syndicate SLC 6/3 Tickets

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Keep Up With Weir – Instagram // Spotify 

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