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While currently embarking on their spring tour across the states, the Detroit garage-psych trio Shadow Show returned today with a new single and video that sonically radiates a colorful explosion, transporting listeners to another realm they never knew existed. To celebrate the release, we caught up with the power trio to discuss how the single heightened the band's technical skills and what the inspirations were behind the new clip.
Shadow Show, composed of guitarist-vocalist Ava East, bassist-vocalist Kate Derringer, and drummer-vocalist Kerrigan Pearce, came onto the Detroit rock scene in the summer of 2018 as one of the latest components to the city's brimstone stench of explosive rock 'n' roll alongside fellow acts the Stools, Toeheads, and 208. They first made their presence known with their otherworldly, Pandoras-esque garage rock and beautifully layered group harmonies across their self-produced debut album, Silhouettes, which was released on Greenway Records and Reverberation Appreciation Society right before the pandemic in 2020. Following a few singles after then, the band are currently touring the states with shows at this year's SXSW while simultaneously working in the studio.
Right before Shadow Show announces their upcoming sophomore album, we have the pleasure in sharing today their new single, "Radiant Hue," a sonic tapestry of kaleidoscopic insanity laced with a high-velocity production techniques, ruthless fuzzed-out guitars, and an unbeatable rhythm section that marks an experimental release and courageous step forward for the band. The single also comes with a striking new music video that was filmed and edited by Kyle Edmonds of 208 and transports listeners to a different place better than a fantasy.
To celebrate the release, we caught up with the trio to discuss how the single heightened the band's technical skills and what the inspirations were behind the new clip.
Paperface Zine: Talk to me about the origins of your brand new single "Radiant Hue." How did it come about and what did you envision when initially composing it?
Shadow Show: "Radiant Hue" has always been an homage to the color of love, beauty, and painting. We initially demoed a version of it in 2021 during the early writing sessions for our next album, but it didn't make the cut. Once we finally returned to the idea, we were able to come at it with a fresh perspective and new attitude. In doing so, it finally blossomed into a fully realized translation of the original idea and a reflection of how we've progressed as a band since our last release.
PZ: The new cut also comes with a hallucinatory new video. Tell us a bit about the clip, what it was like making it, and what you were inspired by when putting it together?
SS: First and foremost, we shot outside on the COLDEST day in and around Detroit, so the sun was literally the star of our show, hehe.. the narrative built itself from there while we whimsically carried on in our fantasy land. Kyle Edmonds of 208 filmed and edited the video, and we collaborated on concepts pulling inspiration from Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" era, David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes," and Shūji Terayama's The Labyrinth Tale.
PZ: Is new single teasing towards your sophomore album? If so, can you talk a bit about that and what fans can expect?
SS: Absolutely! Although "Radiant Hue" is meant to be a standalone single, it can be thought of as the predecessor to our next album. It showcases our growth as a band with a more refined yet experimental songwriting and production style. As far as our recording process went, we brought in Cam Frank as a co-producer and co-engineer in addition to our bassist Kate Derringer to bring the track to life in a very intimate and insular studio environment. This is essentially the team we had for the creation of our unreleased second album, recorded almost entirely at High Bias Recordings in Detroit. We really wanted to pull out all the stops for this one, and challenged ourselves to break boundaries, and above all — BLAST!
PZ: As a power trio, how have you evolved musically together since forming in 2018?
SS: Writing and recording the second album is what challenged us to decide who we are as artists. We push ourselves to evolve every time we work on a new project in the studio, which allows us to see each opportunity as a blank slate and push the envelope far past any preconceived notions. Touring in Europe last year was a beautiful and intense experience that forced us to focus on our live performance more than ever and believe in ourselves and each other every step of the way.
PZ: What has it been like navigating the Detroit garage-punk scene over the years?
SS: It's a very tight knit, collaborative, and supportive scene in Detroit. With this release, we were able to team up with our local comrades Kyle Edmonds and Shelby Say of 208 and Will Lorenz of the Stools to create the music video. It's always fun and inspiring to be able to work creatively with our friends. What's cool about the music scene in Detroit is that it doesn't matter what genre you play or generation your from. Good music will always be respected and appreciated. We've been playing together in the scene for almost ten years, and we have big love for our city
PZ: Lastly, how has the spring tour been going? You got SXSW coming up in a couple days and then the tour ending with shows at Happy Dog in Cleveland and the UFO Factory in Detroit!
SS: It's been great so far! We're so excited to finally play SXSW for the first time and see all our friends along the way :).
"Radiant Hue" is out now digitally on Sugar Records. Check out the following tour dates below.
