End of November 2018. Multidisciplinary artist Tess Roby (Beacons, Ideas of Space) and the duo The Beat Escape (Life Is Short the Answer’s Long), consisting of Adam Ohr and Patrick Lee, have coffee together after a chance meeting. At this precise moment, chance could not have done things better since between them, the magic works naturally and an evening in the studio is enough to compose their first title, the excellent Meridian.
Four years, a pandemic and six singles later, the time has finally come for Dawn to Dawn to release an impeccable debut album, Postcards From The Sun To The Moonwhere the deep and floating voice of Tess Roby interweaves the radiant synthpop of her new accomplices.
At the beginning
“Without knowing each other, we already admired and respected each other’s work. But we were far from suspecting that we were going to form a group and make a complete album, ”recalls Tess Roby. Because it was necessary to continue what had just been started, Dawn to Dawn then spent every weekend of the winter of 2018-2019 composing and recording, almost religiously.
“When the three of us were together, the atmosphere was really special. And we very quickly had a nice collection of songs,” says Patrick Lee. As they create, musicians also forge a strong friendship, a community even, that grows organically.
“We have exactly the same artistic tastes and the same vision of things! enthused Adam Ohr. Their influences and their common references thus outline the constellation Dawn to Dawn, marked out in particular by dance music, drum machines and synthesizers. “Electronic music is the fabric that binds us, confirms Patrick Lee. Everything else is sewn from our experiences. »
As their collaboration is constantly expanding, Adam Ohr, Patrick Lee and Tess Roby shape Dawn to Dawn on a daily basis, with love and effervescence. Together, they share and discuss their cultural inspirations, which go far beyond music, to merge in cinema and visual arts, among others.
“Bands from the 1980s like Yellow Magic Orchestra serve as a model for us in a very general way. Their photographs, for example, were revealing for us, in our aesthetic choices, ”says the singer of the Montreal formation.
In their image
If their artistic sensibilities are in symbiosis, the same goes for their approach to creation. “When we make music together, everything connects in a momentum of spontaneity”, explains Patrick Lee. And Adam Ohr continues: “More than anything, we want to capture the intensity of the moment. »
In its quasi-artisanal approach, Dawn to Dawn embraces a common instinct to give itself the impetus necessary for free-as-air achievements. “There is never anything predetermined or decided in advance. Our musical narrative emerges once the collective mechanism is engaged,” explains Patrick Lee. Tess Roby specifies for her part that the color of their emotions and their moods tint each piece. “Everything happens within the four walls of the studio. Our energy defines our songs,” she says.
Postcards From The Sun To The Moon thus sparkles thanks to the complexity of its design and the feelings it provides. Of a euphoric nostalgia in Stereo and Samba to a hypnotic contemplation in With U, the harmony that emerges from the album is remarkable. “It’s interesting to put the titles together at the end and to see that the result still looks so much like us,” notes Tess Roby.
The constant accuracy of Postcards From The Sun To The Moon also finds an answer in a formula that works every time for Dawn to Dawn members. “Tess writes the songs and sings them, but otherwise we do everything together. We start and end each piece in threes, when jam sessions. Then, Patrick and I rework the shape before meeting Tess for the finalization”, reports Adam Ohr. Everything the group produces is, in fact, the result of consultations and exchanges. “We don’t bring anything individually,” insists Tess Roby.
“As soon as we are together, something wonderful happens. This is still the case today, even several years after the start of Dawn to Dawn”, rejoices Patrick Lee. According to him, this chemistry deserves to be honored, and he imagines his group going further. “We had to finish what we started in 2018. Now that the album is out, I can’t wait to see how we can evolve,” adds Tess Roby. But, first, the trio will enjoy the birth of Postcards From The Sun To The Moon to share his happiness with the public.