OTHER LIVES | April 2015

«In our heads we’re haphazardly trying to write classical music,» says Jesse Tabish, and if you listen with an intent ear to Other Lives’ lush, layered beatific musical creations, it’s hard not to imagine the singer-musical maestro crafting his next opus. «Every sound, every drum beat has to have some sort of purpose,» he adds. 13 years since they first began playing together in their native Oklahoma, Other Lives, which includes Josh Onstott and Jonathon Mooney, remain focused on the search for audible clarity: their next expression, their next melody, their next rhythm. «Rituals», the band’s third and latest full-length album which is going to be released on 4th May 2015, is a pure encapsulation of the trio’s relentless drive for precision.

«This one was a real journey,» Tabish says of the 18 months spent writing more than 60 songs for «Rituals», a constant creative outlet for the relentless sonic architect amid a rigorous few years of touring their debut album. «It was a long time spent searching for a new identity,» the soft-spoken singer continues of the writing process, «still trying to retain the past of our musical palate but also really trying to stretch ourselves into a new type of music.»

While «Rituals» marks a new chapter in Other Lives’ story, it’s also a continuation of a decade-plus passage. «I feel really lucky to be able to have a band and people around me that have been so supportive and we’ve stuck together all these years and still don’t hate each other,» Tabish says. «All three of us are like brothers. I don’t think that will ever go away. I loved those kids then and I love them now. There’s that mutual feeling. If I want to go have a beer with anyone it would be those two guys. That kind of says something.»

At Music Apartment, Other Lives will present a selection of songs from «Rituals», for the first time in Switzerland.