Next week, indie pop act, Geographer, will be back with their newest record, Ghost Modern. (Best New Bands contributor, Sean Kayden, first reported on the upcoming record here.) The five piece San Franciscan band has been working to leave no ear un-intrigued and no playlist without a spot for filling, in the time leading up the the release and the group is making sure to solidify this sentiment in these final days with latest single, “The Guest.” Ghost Modern evokes a very intimate vibe and much of this impression is likely a result of where is was created –at San Francisco’s own Tiny Telephone Recording.

The romantic indie pop outfit, led by Mike Deni, have turned out 12 tracks for Geographer’s newest studio record. A songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Deni pieces together timeless compositions with flowing synthesizers and meticulous orchestral arrangements. He explains that the core mentality behind Ghost Modern came mostly from a sense of disappointment with the expanding lack of songwriting within the mainstream vein of music and popular culture:

“I took a great deal of time crafting the songs for this album before arranging them, before blowing them out with swelling sonic textures that might override or overshadow the need to make the song – at its core – the most important thing,”

Deni also elaborates the theme of Ghost Modern and on how he composed the majority of the album during a driving expedition out to a cliff overlooking the beach in the Presidio of San Francisco – focusing on writing lyrics while in his car – during any free moment that arose:

“When I was feeling stuck I would walk down to the bluffs and sometimes down to the water and run lines in my head over and over,” recalls Deni. “The vision of that massive swath of blue, promising so much beneath and revealing so little on the surface, so terrifying but so beautiful, like ourselves. It was a huge image in my mind, it finds its way into a lot of songs, most notably ‘I’m Ready.’

The general theme of the album is picking up where I left off with [Geographer's second album,] Myth and saying, ‘Great, so life has no discernible meaning or purpose, and your life is a dream.’ I thought that was the most important thing, to pull back the covers on that situation, on the lies we feast on to keep calm.  But the truth is, you’re still stuck here, whether it’s meaningless or not, explains Deni. “I pushed past Post Modernism into something darker, something emptier: Ghost Modernism.”

If these quotes directly from Geographer’s front man have anyone clamoring to hear their music or see the band in person, now is the time! They just kicked off a loaded set of SXSW performances this afternoon and starting March 23, the band will be hitting the road for a long U.S. tour –one that will land them right back where they are now, in Austin on May 30. Full tour list is below.

Ghost Modern comes out March 23, 2015, via Roll Call Records.

Listen to “The Guest” in the SoundCloud stream here!

Pre-order for Ghost Modern is available now through iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.

Keep up with Geographer through their official website and these social media outlets:

Facebook
Twitter (@geographermusic)
Instagram
SoundCloud
Bandcamp

Geographer SXSW Showcases and Tour Dates

3/18: Austin, TX @ 12:35pm @ The Parish


3/18: Austin, TX @ 3:00pm: FloodFest / InGrooves Party – Cedar St. Courtyard

3/19: Austin, TX @ 4:00pm: DoPBR – Scoot Inn

3/20: Austin, TX @ 4:10pm: Music by the Slice – Homeslice Pizza

3/20: Austin, TX @ 12:00am: Roll Call / Indie Shuffle Showcase – Blackheart

3/21: Austin, TX @ 3:00pm: Culture Collide – Container

3/23: Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge

3/24: Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge

3/25: Boise, ID – Neurloux
3/26: Seattle, WA – Neumos

3/27: Bellingham, WA – Wild Buffalo

3/28: Eugene, OR – Sam Bonds Garage

5/6: Portland, OR – Doug Fir

5/7: Spokane, WA – The Big Dipper

5/8: Billings, MT – The Pub Station

5/10: Fargo, ND – Aquarium

5/11: Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry

5/12: Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

5/13: Columbus, OH – Rumba

5/15: Detroit, MI – Blind Pig

5/16: Toronto, ON – Sneaky Dees

5/17: Montreal, QC – Fairmount Theatre

5/19: Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

5/21: Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

5/22: Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer

5/23: Washington, DC – U St Music Hall

5/24: Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506

5/26: Atlanta, GA – The Earl

5/27: New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa

5/28: Houston, TX – Fitzgeralds

5/29: Dallas, TX – Trees

5/30: Austin, TX – Mohawk