Exclusive Premiere: Balmorhea “Writing Masollan”

Balmorhea's new album "Stranger" hits stores in October.

There are few bands like Balmorhea. It’s fitting that the group named themselves after a tiny town in their home state of Texas. Their music is evocative of West Texas and its wide open spaces and time spent wondering in nature. The band is on the frontier of indie rock, crafting music that is haunting and hypnotic, but never droning. It’s introspective, but never falls into the background music of shoe-gaze. It’s full of emotion without being ponderous. Instead it’s anthemic, emotional, and challenging, filled with swelling melodies, lilting rhythms, and dense textures. The music is heavily influenced by classical music, but is undoubtedly post-rock. Like we said, there are few bands like Balmorhea.

Which is why it’s not especially surprising that when it came time to make a music video, they took their own path. The result is something that’s not a traditional music video, and not a traditional making of video. Instead, it’s shots of the group, including founders Rob Lowe and Michael Muller, writing, rehearsing, and playing their song live as they craft the song that became “Masollan.” The track is off their forthcoming album “Stranger,” which will be released in the United States in October 2012.

Watch Balmorhea “Writing Masollan”:

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