Back in January, Hamilton, Ontario instrumental progressive rock band Spectra released their full-length debut release Places We Only Dream Of. Following their inclusion on Progotronics 49 compilation, the band spoke for Prog Sphere about their formation, the release, recording process, and more.
How did Spectra come together as a band, and what drew each of you to instrumental progressive rock/metal?
Jaf (drummer) and de Janglez (8 string guitarist) have been playing in bands together since 2008. At the time, we were drawn to progressive and heavy bands, and decided to make that kind of music together. In 2019, when we put out a record for our previous band, we started looking for the 3 additional members needed to finish a live line up. Within a year, we got Alyssa (bass), Febbraro (7 string guitar), and Alex (keyboard). During the Covid lockdowns, we wrote an album together and did our first live performance in 2022. It became clear that the bands previous name (Robot Philosopher) and the musical direction was more centered around Jaf and de Janglez and that this new lineup needed to be its own thing. When working on Places We Only Dream Of, which was much more collaborative, we decided to also change the band name to encompass all of us as equal contributors.
Each member of the band likes a wide variety of genres and bands, not just limited to prog. What has drawn us all to this genre for creating our own music is the freedom to do whatever we want. We could straight up write a country song, because there are no rules, and that would be ok for a progressive metal band to do. It allows us to explore and take risks as musicians that might not fly in other genres while also allowing us to showcase all the different types of music that inspires us.
What inspired the title Places We Only Dream Of, and how does it reflect the themes or journey of the album?
While writing the album, we were brainstorming titles for songs that captured the essence of what the story or emotion was. What we found was that we kept coming back to nature and earth related themes. We had originally tried to go for a one word album title, but de Janglez was working around some ideas, some of them hilarious, some of them intriguing. He got to something close and the rest of us worked through the title until it felt right. It was the same way we approached the artwork. We had toyed around with a few ideas and approaches, but once we saw the painting by the artist (Mallory Chow), we knew it was the perfect fit. https://www.instagram.com/mal.chow/
The title and artwork really reflect the spirit of how the album came together. Nothing was really preplanned or laid out. we just let the music develop naturally and when we agreed it was right, then that was it. This might be antithetical to how many prog bands might structure an album, but we were so excited with the new direction and freedom, it just felt right to everyone.
Instrumental music relies heavily on atmosphere and storytelling without words. How do you approach crafting narratives through your music?
We don’t hahahaha. In the two albums from our previous band, we had dabbled in some abstract storytelling visa via instrumental music. For this new direction and this new band, we wanted to write music that was more accessible with simpler orchestration. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t want cool time signature changes and shredding solos, it just meant we were more streamlined with our songwriting and arranging process. We fell back on simple song structures. As far as crafting a narrative, we approach songwriting as more of “what is this song’s emotion or intention” and does each part support that, both orchestrally and compositionally. So even though we aren’t telling a complex narrative, there’s still an emotional centre to the songs.
Your sound is driven by extended range guitars, heavy synths, and complex time signatures. How do you maintain a balance between technical complexity and listener engagement?
We almost always make sure the choruses are really engaging and they tend to be the most exciting parts of the song, if not the tonal centre of the songs. We make sure they are catchy and we fit verses, pre chorus, and bridges around those choruses. So even if a verse is in an odd time signature, it will either resolve to a chorus that steps up in excitement or is melodically or rhythmically easier to grab onto. We always go back to that basic rock/pop song structure. Because of this simple song structure, we can get away with the more complex riffs and progressive ideas without alienating listeners unfamiliar with this kind of music. We really spent a lot of time going through the riffs presented and discussed if each part was necessary, does it come back later, is it a variation of something, or is it just a cool riff that doesn’t really do much for the song. Another trick that we do a lot is to double our final choruses for maximum impact.
Were there any specific challenges in recording Places We Only Dream Of, especially given the intricate nature of your compositions?
The album came together especially quickly. Alex (who also was the recording/mixing and mastering engineer), tracked everything at his studio, Antarctic Studios. The new direction brought about some challenges in terms of tones for certain instruments, but we were able to work through those together thanks to Alex’s engineering wizardry. The only instrument that wasn’t fully done by Alex was the drums. We had originally tracked them in Jaf’s basement and Alex worked really hard to get a really good drum sound, which was a success. However, Jaf wasn’t impressed with his own drum performance on the day, and given time constraints, we ended up tracking the drums a second time at Small Dog Studios in Kitchener, which is what you ultimately hear on the album.
What are some of the bands or artists that have influenced Spectra’s sound and approach to songwriting?
Each of us has different tastes, but there are certainly some bands that crossover for all of us. Dream Theater is the most obvious and it’s clear from a lot of aspects on the album, from the keyboard playing, guitar solos, riffs, bass melodies, and especially the drumming, that they are a big influence for us. Some other bands that you can clearly hear as influences on this record would be Haken, Plini, Polphia, Devin Townsend, and a whole heaping helping of classic rock and prog (Pink Floyd, Journey, Deep Purple, etc). While these bands definitely influence the sound of Spectra, you may notice we don’t typically structure our songs like many of these bands would. We’ve decided to stick to that basic pop/rock song structure.
The album features crushing riffs alongside melodic leads and memorable choruses. How do you go about blending those contrasting elements?
We try our best to take the rhythms from melodic sections and adapt them into crushing riffs later on. Rather than coming up with completely brand new sections that don’t tie back into anything, we try when we can to take a rhythmic idea and do a variation on it so that the listener still feels like they are in the same musical headspace. A great example of this is from our first single “Meridian” where the ending breakdown is a variation on the chorus rhythm, where we utilize the extended range guitars by playing it down 2 octaves. You can also hear the bass in the second verse doing a variation on the chorus to give it a much different flavour while the horn accents are going off. It’s things like this that give each instrument an opportunity to shine on a rhythmic or melodic idea while keeping the song concise and strong.
How has the music scene in Hamilton shaped your identity as a band?
Some of our first shows as Spectra were in Hamilton. We’ve had the opportunity to play with some amazing local talent, including other progressive bands. Because it’s such a niche genre, we’ve lately tried exploring other nearby cities to connect with other bands and fans that also share our passion for this type of music.
You’ve released three music videos so far. What role do visuals play in complementing your music, and are there more creative concepts in the works?
Every one of our music videos has some comedic element to it, which reflects how we are as people. We love to play music and, while we take the performance and business of music seriously, we don’t take ourselves seriously. This is why all the concepts we’ve come up with so far have some creative or goofy spin to them. We’re very aware of what’s expected from bands like us and we try to think of creative ways to engage people visually that would be different than just 5 nerds playing their instruments in a warehouse. There are no active plans for anything right now in the video department, but we’re sure that there will be more silliness in our future.
What has the response been like since the release of Places We Only Dream Of?
It’s been encouraging. We’ve been attracting a lot of new fans and introducing a lot of people to the genre that otherwise might not have liked it. It’s been nice to hear a lot of support from people in the prog community as well as fans of other types of music, both enjoying what we’ve created.
As a five-piece instrumental band, how do you ensure each member’s contributions are highlighted and cohesive?
We have noticed a trend, some would say curse, where when one of us writes a really cool riff, that person doesn’t end up playing it. It gets foisted onto a different member to perform, while the person who came up with it originally ends up with a lead overtop. We are very conscious of where leads need to go and who is playing them and everyone supports that lead. Sometimes this can be a solo, as opposed to a strict melody, depending on what we feel the song calls for. We’ll usually try all ideas presented, nothing gets shut down without trying it out with the group, and seeing which direction we most feel is right. All the pitched instrument players presented ideas for songs that got included on the album. We wanted to make sure there was a great blend of bass, guitar, and keyboard moments that different musicians could latch onto.
What do you hope listeners experience when they dive into your music?
A good time. We want people to feel excited and hopeful, like we do, when we listen to a lot of our favourite bands. We also hope that audiences get the same joy out of our music as we do when we play together.
Are there any exciting plans or live performances on the horizon that you can share with us?
We are currently on tour throughout Ontario. We’ve already completed our first 2 shows, with 5 more still to go. Our next show will be in Toronto, with remaining dates in Kitchener, Ottawa, Windsor, and finishing in Hamilton. We’re so excited with the lineups we’ve put together and to play for everyone. You can find our tour dates and tickets on our socials.
Places We Only Dream Of is available on Bandcamp. Follow Spectra on Facebook and Instagram.
