The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

The many facets of an ‘Electric State’

Unlikely ties bind Free Electric State’s members

Courtesy of Sam Roberts
Courtesy of Sam Roberts

For Free Electric State guitarists David Koslowski and Nick Williams, it all started with Krautrock.

Williams was tending bar at The Pinhook in Durham, and Koslowski was in between bands and working on visual art.

But when Williams put on Can’s Tago Mago over the bar speakers one night back in 2009, the two just clicked.

Attend the Show

Time: 10 p.m. Friday
Location: The Pinhook
117 W. Main St., Durham
Info: thepinhook.com

“That’s just how we bonded musically. It’s amazing how people’s tastes can lead to friendships and creative collaborations,” Williams said.

Koslowski simply remembers being glad to have a friend with whom he could share his unconventional music tastes.

“I wanted to have another guitar player to play with again,” Koslowski said.

The band has come a long way since then and will celebrate the release of its debut LP, Caress, on Friday with a show at The Pinhook.

“We’re really excited about it. I’ve never been in a band that had an actual record come out, and I never really recorded anything professionally,” Williams said. “We’re trying to make it a party, not just another concert.”

Free Electric State spent a substantial amount of time retooling its sound before settling on the blend of melodic indie pop and lush noise rock that characterizes its first album.

“We ditched a bunch of songs that we had written earlier that were more angular and had more of a post-punk feel to them,” Williams said. “I think they were pretty good songs, but once we started getting into the meat of what we were writing, those older songs didn’t really feel appropriate to the band. We like the hazy guitars and the kind of pastoral sound that grew out of those early recordings.”

That relentless rock swirl has garnered Free Electric State its fair share of critical praise since the Durham band started playing in the area.

“We wanted to take different genres that we liked and kind of mix it all together,” Koslowski said. “We looked at everything from like, shoegaze stuff to Krautrock to noise rock.”

The band spends a lot of time dodging comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, but it looks to less mainstream bands for inspiration.

Koslowski highlighted overlooked British band Swervedriver from the 1990s as a major influence in the band’s development.

“They remind me of the Superchunk of shoegaze. The songs were really tight,” Williams said. “They had quirky moments, and they had an incredible pop sensibility at the same time, too.”

It’s a similar mix of sensibilities that characterize Free Electric State. They’re noisy but sentimental. Experimental but emotional. An amalgam of obscure influences and lush melody.

They’re a nerdy bar conversation brought to full fruition. And Friday, we all get to taste the result.

Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition