Pontiak is three brothers that grew up and live on farms in Virginia. Their lifelong closeness yields uncommon musical understanding, creative collaboration and personal camaraderie. Their singular combination of impressive work ethic and boundless creativity pays off on their new album INNOCENCE. From the explosive title track to the mellow groove of “Wildfires,” these 11 songs are some of the most absorbing and melodic material the band has produced, without ever losing their signature heft. It was recorded in the band's Studio A in Virginia without the aid of computers.
When the band began to compose the songs that became INNOCENCE, instead of employing their well-worn method of carving out melodic passages from the squall of feedback and fuzz, the Carney brothers' songs frequently began the process with a trio of vocals, often eschewing instruments altogether as they wrote. Nowhere is this more apparent than the melancholic ballads of “Wildfires” and “Darkness is coming”. On high energy, hook laden tracks such as “Lack Lustre Rush,” “Surrounded by Diamonds," and “Ghosts,” the distortion and the searing yet elegant guitar lines hang on the brothers vocal melodies.
In addition to designing their own album artwork, the band films, edits, and directs all their music videos, including the 18-minute short film entitled Heat Leisure, which the band released in 2013. The film juxtaposed the staid, oft silent beauty of historic Virginia farms, many of which were the location of civil war battles, with the live bombastic beauty of a rock show. The performance featured two new songs made in collaboration with several guest musicians, including labelmate Greg Fox of Guardian Alien. The film premiered as an official selection at the Chicago International Music and Movies Festival. In addition to East Coast dates with Guardian Alien in December of 2013, the band will be touring the US and Europe following the album’s release.
