Aug. 31st, 2021

Early Eyes Announce Debut Album 'Look Alive!' Out February 25

Minneapolis band Early Eyes will release their debut album Look Alive! on February 25 via Epitaph Records.

Produced by Caleb Hinz (Hippo Campus, Samia) and Jake Luppen of Hippo Campus, Look Alive! looks ahead to a post-genre future where emo, post-hardcore, Japanese city pop, and musical theater can coexist peacefully on one album.

Early Eyes signed to Epitaph Records in January 2020 and put out their first singles with the label that March—just as the pandemic brought the entire music industry screeching to a halt. As weeks turned into months, and as their city of Minneapolis imploded in a catastrophic moment of fury, grief, and protest, the band alternated between doing what they could to support mutual aid efforts and holing up in the studio to channel their complicated emotions into song.

“It almost feels like Look Alive! is a direct response to the pandemic,” vocalist Jake Berglove reflects. “We took all of that anxiety and angry energy and put it into making a really fucked up album.” But at the same time, “The album was not just an expression of all of our frustrations, but also an escape from it,” adds guitarist Joe Villano.

Last month, Early Eyes offered the first glimpse of their forthcoming record with the tracks “Paresthesia” and “Revel Berry.” Today, the band shares the catchy “Chemicals,” infused with a fresh dose of jazz-funk showcasing the band’s incredible musicianship while also embracing their fun, comedic energy.

“Chemicals was a song that started almost a bit like a comedy sketch. We were trying to make the most earnest, over-saccharine pop song and could not resist wrapping it in this pseudo-dad-bod-beers-up kind of package,” says Berglove of the track. “We’ve always been the type of band that wasn’t afraid to have fun. I think Chemicals is yet another attempt at injecting a song with as much chaotic, shameless, and exciting energy possible!”