Local band Window Shop emits waves of seven-part harmonies and fuzz guitar-filled vibrations into the music scene. Its first official album came out on March 5, channeling its live sound into a 12-track album.
Since 2020, the band performed originals live on and off campus and released several singles. The “rainbow rock” band consists of two alumni and three music majors under the school of music.
A term coined by Aiden Potter, alumnus and guitarist, “rainbow rock” reflects how the band writes in seven layers of harmony, paralleling the seven colors of the rainbow into its take on rock.
“It’s psych rock that has a lot of attention to harmony and heady aspects of music,” Potter said. “We think a lot about harmony, and we write in at least layers of seven notes at a time instead of playing power chords.”
Window Shop recorded eleven of the 12-track self-titled album in summer 2022 at Yellow Dog Studios in Wimberley, Texas. It recorded the song “Ain’t You Heard” at Fire Station Studios in downtown San Marcos.
Taking a song-centric approach, the band focuses on making each song not fit into a certain format or mold.
“If you were going to throw all of the colors of the rainbow at a canvas, that is what we do in a sonic sense,” Nora Tomlinson, alumnus, keyboardist and vocalist, said. “We’re never really limiting ourselves to one style or genre.”
The band switches up the order of the songs when they play live. It bases the album’s order on how the band felt when performing in live scenarios.
“We’ve played that entire set a few times and so we’ve just gotten the flow of it,” Kevin Shultz, music senior and drummer, said. “We thought that everything flowed nicely too.”
According to Tomlinson, spending time on campus created positive aspects and connections. Shultz, one of the three members who is still in school, said balancing student and band life is challenging.
“It’s constantly a battle in my mind of, ‘oh, I have to do my homework before we get to go rock and roll,’” Shultz said.
While they all have very different processes of composing music, Tomlinson, Potter or Dallas Anderson, music senior and guitarist, write the original songs.
“I like to show up with a skeleton and then let everybody else put whatever they feel like is good into it,” Tomlinson said.
While Tomlinson finds it easiest to start with lyrics and then takes a collaborative approach in her composition, Anderson said he prefers to write out most of the completed structure before bringing a new idea to the band.
“[Tomlinson] usually brings lyrics and chords together,” Aiden said. “Then [Anderson] will usually bring a five-part written out, harmonized part.”
Each of the five band members infused a part of their identity into their craft. Shultz said the sound of his drum playing is unique to him.
“I blend the things I like and ‘steal’ a bunch of things from good drummers that I like or people who’ve taught me and influenced me,” Shultz said. “Then [when] I do play the drums, I sing the parts I play in my head, so it’s a stream of consciousness coming through the drums when I play.”
From making the album to hearing it, Shultz said the end result was cool to see.
“It was a huge weight off everybody’s shoulders,” Shultz said. “We’d been working on it for so long and we’re all so proud of it being out and it was just a relief.”
