Austin indie rockers Quiet Company have seen their fanbase shift in the eight years since they released their first album. The band started as a Christian rock outfit and, following the 2011 release of its third album, We Are All Where We Belong, opted to risk alienating those fans by taking a hard-left turn toward atheism. “Seven Hells,” the first single from the band’s forthcoming release Transgressor—its first collection of new material in three and a half years—brings back some of that religious imagery, but with a decidedly more contemporary sourcebook.
“I’m not sure why I chose ‘Seven Hells’ as a point of imagery,” frontman Taylor Muse says. “It probably has a lot to do with Game of Thrones, honestly.” As for the “demons” he sings about in the chorus? “The idea of demons is just the idea of personal demons. It’s certainly not about literal demons,” he laughs. “I’ve always favored spiritual imagery, and atheism hasn’t changed that about me.”
What has changed, though, is the band’s emphasis on the low end in “Seven Hells,” which has a funkier groove than the guitar-drenched indie rock the band has favored in the past. “I went into this record knowing that I wanted to focus more on bass, drums, and synths, and we definitely did that—especially on ‘Seven Hells,’ Muse says.
Listen to “Seven Hells” below—and check out Quiet Company live at their Holiday House Party shows in living rooms across the state next month:
12/6 – Houston
12/12 – San Antonio
12/13 – Austin
12/19 – Dallas
Transgressor is out February 24th on Modern Outsider Records.
(photo by Leah Muse)
