In the basement of the Academical Village People house, known colloquially among frequent house show attendees as “The Bog,” the band Indecisive performed the songs of their debut album “Over King’s Creek,” which was released on Spotify Sept. 3. Despite the oppressive heat and the masses of people packed together — and inching closer and closer to the band as the night went on — this was a standout performance.
The Indecisive band members have had time to hone in on their musical skill. Two of the band’s members — second-year Engineering student Erik Holmer and third-year College student Dade Walker — have been playing together since high school. Later, in college, they met second year College student Alex Schaefer, who became their drummer.
“Over King's Creek is a project that began in high school,” the group said. “Dade and Erik started writing songs together, and when college came, we were lucky to find our drummer Alex almost immediately. Since then we've only grown closer.”
Over the past summer, the band has made their high school dream come true.
The first song of the album, which kicked off the band’s performance, exemplifies their talent for building intensity in their music. The song begins with a laid-back guitar riff from Holmer. As the song nears its end however, Holmer’s playing increases in fervor, eventually culminating in an impressive solo which really shows off Holmer skill as a guitarist.
In their performance at their album release party, Walker was exceptional on the bass. He played with understated ease, drawing his audience in and providing them with innovative and captivating bass riffs. Third-year College student Brianna Handford, who attended the house show, said he was “one of the best bass players [she’s] ever heard.”
Holmer also had a very memorable performance. His skill on the guitar spurred the audience to dance, and his soft-spoken singing voice added an important dimension to his band’s indie-rock vibe. Third-year College student Mack Blaylock said the band members have remarkable musical skill.
“I think it’s incredible that these people have so much talent despite being so young,” Blaylock said.
Schaefer’s confidence on the drums came through very strongly in his performance. Despite the dynamic nature of his instrument, he remained composed throughout the set, making complex drumming rhythms look easy.
Walker’s accompaniment on bass merges perfectly with Holmer’s style of playing, hinting at their long history of performing together. Nowhere is this clearer than in “The 15-8 Song.” This song is more gentle than some of their others and is fully instrumental. Holmer and Walker’s performances here evoke the feeling of remembering a bittersweet memory, of looking into the past and really feeling the absence of certain experiences and people.
Furthermore, the band’s song “Tork” showcases Schaefer’s skill on the drums, all while once again evidencing Holmer and Walker’s incredible ability to musically complement each other. Here, Schaefer adeptly switches between a classic rock style of drumming to more of a military marching beat, before switching back to another more dynamic and intense rock beat. Schaefer plays an important role in exhibiting the band’s versatility.
Over the course of their performance, Indecisive oscillated between a more dynamic, intense style, as seen in “Mustang,” and slower, gentler songs like “The 15-8 Song” that have a little more emotional resonance. This ability to fluctuate between styles within an album, and often even within a single song, conveys the band members’ musical expertise.
Although the members of Indecisive had been planning to release an album for a long time, they conveyed their overwhelming excitement after the fact.
“Seeing our album cover and name officially on Spotify was a surreal feeling, but it's one that we've wanted for a long time, and to see it finally come to life is even more than a dream come true — it's indescribable," the band said.
Throughout their time as a band in Charlottesville, the members of Indecisive have not only honed their musical skills to a degree very much beyond what would be expected of their age group, but they have also aided in creating a true community of live music lovers in the University.
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