Mason Lowe (drummer of Seattle’s feel-good classic rock inspired outfit Bread & Butter) has just released his debut solo LP Morning People on Seattle’s Killroom Records. The album’s focus track, Hanging Around, is a delight, featuring three-part harmonies and jangly guitars. The composition has a happy, sixties vibe with a slacker/grunge aesthetic that breathes summer cool. Reflecting on the process of creating Hanging Around Lowe explains, “This was the first song written for the record. It was a rough time. I dealing with the first few dips of the Covid roller coaster and my personal life was kind of a wreck. And yet, here comes this delightfully candid song about having a crush on someone! It surprised me! The honesty of the lyrics in this song set the course for the whole record.” The accompanying video for Hanging Around features Shane Herrell (Bread & Butter) and Maria-Elena Juarez (Acapulco Lips), together with Lowe, cruising around Seattle, all squished into a Chevy Astro Van. The troupe encounters lost dogs, discovers gas station treasures, and finds wild greenery that all ends up journeying with them while they madly play instruments. It’s hilariously tongue in cheek, positively refreshing, and ultimately hummable.
In order to complete the album, Lowe descended into his home studio: one of the dankest basements in the Pacific Northwest. Lowe’s debut solo effort, Morning People, seeks to combine the sounds of glam rock, 60’s girl groups, and grunge. The result is an open-hearted, sunny record that is a nostalgic sweet pop album that is hopeful and utterly sentimental. Nods to Big Star, The Shangri-Las and The Beach Boys are present throughout. Morning People was recorded by Lowe during the height of the pandemic while he was struggling to keep the doors open at a Seattle human services nonprofit. But these are not 12 songs of loneliness and exhaustion. This is a dozen songs about hot crushes, friendship, and love. Mason dragged his weary buns into the basement with 6-packs of Rainier tallboys to record heavy riffs, light harmonies, and tight arrangements. How tight? None of the songs on this album make it to the three-minute mark. Where did this burst of positive energy come from? “I have no idea,” Mason says. “Work was really tough. I had a lot on my mind. But I dived into music in a way I never have before. This was a super serious time, but the songs that came out are really poppy and fun. I don’t know why. I’m not a sunshiny person.”
Discussing his philosophy on what makes a good song Lowe had to say, “When I’m listening to music, I love it when a song takes me out of myself. Maybe it’s just one part that makes me go ‘What just happened? Was that even real?’ It makes me think of the scene in Christmas Vacation where the dude is talking about having a metal plate in his head and whenever the microwave is on, he pees his pants and forgets his name. I want every song on this record to have something – an arrangement, a texture, a moment that zaps you and pulls you out of your day. And maybe makes you pee your pants.” This all informs Lowe’s tremendously playful style of songwriting and lyrics. Morning People is chock full of “microwave moments” and the multitude of hooks both heavy and mellow will please even the most discerning music fans.
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