Way of the Headband official site
When a band abides by a certain theme with a particular record, it’s often a prime representation of their collective imagination. This approach can be either sonic or lyrical, or even a combination of both, while adding a peculiar dimension to the music. With connections to Conway, New Hampshire, and Portland, Maine, alt-rockers Way of the Headband have this going on with their new “The Doggin’ Us” EP, which came out on June 13. Three out of the four tracks within the record have some sort of reference to our four-legged friends with the word “doggin’” in the title, which can also allude to showing off or exhibiting some sort of bravado. Regardless of what it is, the music has an amplified edge that’s conveyed through the instrumentation of guitarists Andrew Phillips & Marshal Cassel, bassist Adam Belanger and drummer Rafe Matregano with each of them having a presence with the vocals.
The making of the EP came about after the band was reduced from being a quintet to a quartet due to a member deciding to leave in order to handle important responsibilities. Rather than finding a replacement, Phillips, Cassel, Belanger and Matregano decided to stay as a four-piece while fleshing out new ideas.
“Writing and recording for this album marked a big change for Way of the Headband,” Belanger says about the new release. “Founding member Orion Kugel, our drummer and main lyricist, stepped away from the band to raise his newborn babies. Instead of adding another member, we decided to work as a four piece and move our keyboard player Rafe to drums. Orion still provides art and some lyrics, but exploring this reconfigured band dynamic definitely influenced the new music. We had originally planned on writing our fourth full length album, but it became apparent rather quickly that we were writing something else entirely.”
“Andrew started using the placeholder ‘Big Doggin’’for each of the new songs, and in typical fashion for us, what started as an inside joke quickly evolved to a larger concept,” he adds. “Before we knew it, ‘The Doggin’ Us’ was born. We returned to Mojo Studios in Franconia, New Hampshire for the third time to work with the amazing Anthony Cimino. Anthony works with us so well it often feels like a telepathic connection when it comes to delivering the sound we are going for during any given recording session. He speaks our language and adds so much when it comes to mixing and production ideas, every time we head back to Mojo it feels like going home.”
Each song off of the new record has an accompanying music video with “Big Doggin’ Pt. 2” having Phillips perusing around the streets of Portland while “Walton Goggins” is the band’s first animated video with Stephen Heymann and Tonnor Hann lending their talents to make it happen. The videos for the tracks “Doom Doggin’” and “Space Doggin’” have yet to be released, but you can subscribe to Way of the Headband’s channel on YouTube to keep tabs on when they’ll be unveiled. In the meantime, search for “The Doggin’ Us” EP on Spotify and check out a unique array of songs that provide an interesting take on rock music.