Headlights shine brightly with catchy, melodic pop
Tristan Wraight is sitting in his band’s van, driving from Cincinnati to Columbus. It’s a short drive, but there’s reason for concern.
“We don’t have a good track record with Ohio,” he says. “We’ve been robbed a few times, gotten into a brawl ...”
His voice trails off.
It’s surprising news because Wraight is the guitarist of the indie-pop group Headlights, an outfit whose soft, melodic tunes don’t exactly lend themselves to the dramatic events he’s recounting. The catchy choruses and understated guitars seem heavy on levity and light on theatrics.
The Champaign-based band grew out of a love for memorable and melodic sounds. When they undertook the project, no one in the band had significant songwriting experience. But that didn’t stop them.
“We all like pop, so it was an easy decision to play something we love,” Wraight says. “We were just musicians who had never written extensively. Sure, we’d written a little before, but not in a focused way, so it was a new challenge.”
When asked if the shift from background players to authors was a difficult one, he says the gang knew it’d be a unique obstacle.
“I don’t know if we had an idea of how hard it would be, but we were terrified,” he admits. “Exposing yourself and putting yourself out there for judgement is a lot different than being in a dark corner of the stage.”
If there was any uncertainty, it certainly didn’t seep into the music, which is filled with confident prose and completely devoid of pretensions. Their latest effort, “Some Racing, Some Stopping” meanders through synth-pop and indie rock and is best listened to a little shy of top volume. It’s soothing, toe-tapping and an appropriate soundtrack for a relaxing night at a summer bonfire.
“At the beginning we didn’t have much of an idea or direction besides knowing we wanted to be together and play pop,” Wraight explains. “It took us a while to find a style and define what we wanted to do. There was tremendous evolution between our first EP and first record.”
One thing Wraight says that Headlights has learned is that they shine the brightest when staying true to their pop-first mantra.
“Lots of people are pejorative towards pop, but we’re suckers for a good melody. We grew up listening to the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac, songs that get crammed in your head and won’t leave. It’s fun. Not to say we don’t put intellect in there, but at the heart of the matter is making songs that last.”
Headlights plays Schubas on Friday and will then embark on a trip across the Atlantic which will take them to a whole new set of European ears. Wraight is looking forward to the trek.
“When you go to the Netherlands, there’s a lot of interest in underground music and promoters only pick one show a month, so it’s well-promoted,” he says. “The first time we went we were blown away that tons of kids where coming to the show, and knew what they were coming to see.”
The group has their eyes on the future and continues to keep up the blistering pace they’ve set for themselves. In addition to an exhaustive touring schedule, they’re penning songs for their next release.
“We’re in the middle of recording a bunch of new stuff with Jon and Nick, who joined us this year,” Wraight says. “It’s the first time we are writing with a big group and it’s been very productive. We’re looking to put out another record next year.”