Perfect By Tomorrow is an emerging alternative reggae rock band out of Bellingham, WA. Their overall sound has gone through a serious maturation with their latest self-produced album, LYRA. I had a chance to kick it with the guys on the day of their album release June 14th. We spoke about their roots, the new album, and life. Later that night, they headlined their first show ever in their hometown at The Shakedown.
Perfect By Tomorrow Exclusive Interview
What are the origins of Perfect By Tomorrow?
PBT: We first met in school. We were a bunch of friends who met in choir and drumline and we were really interested in the arts. Justin and Turner played in a band in middle school then we met Joe later in high school. Morgan is a brother to Turner and he fits in great since they’ve always played together growing up. We met Andon while he was playing for Bellingham’s Rise and Shine Band at the “Wild Buff.” He is a musician on his own and plays everywhere with everybody and brings great energy to the band.
Describe your sound to listeners who haven’t heard your music before.
PBT: Its music, man. We put it under the big “reggae rock” category but it’s definitely not all reggae. It depends on who you ask but it’s fun! It’s psychedelic dub rock, alt-rock, dub rock, MKUltra, we can play anything really.
Getting into your new album, what does “LYRA” mean?
PBT: It’s a constellation, a musical constellation. A “Lyre” is a Greek stringed instrument and the god, Apollo, created one called “LYRA”. It was such a beautiful instrument (that) it could cause the trees and mountains to move and then it got its place under the stars.
How do you feel it correlates with the new album?
PBT: Constellations are our guide. We feel this album took more of a harder spiritual turn than our last one. Less belief more uncertainty, if that makes any sense? Questioning the heavens and outer space. There’s a lot of reflection on people and society from the perspective of, like, the heavens. We’ve branched out to new sounds and styles. So, Ocean Drive was not only earth but below the surface and we wanted to branch out to new things – to the sky.
Last question, what song do you think stands out the most from your last album?
PBT: We think the song that would stand out the most, just for being different, would be “Weird Kids.” Because it’s something we’ve never done before. We’ve always had reggae rock, a little folk influences on some (songs), but this is the one where we took it to an ultra surf rock sound. We wrote about a different topic and the melodies are different through the way we structured and recorded it.
Over blunts and spliffs, we continued to talk about the most memorable performances. They played a sold-out show with Bumpin Uglies on 4/20 and a disastrous one where rainwater from the night before was dumped all over Turner’s pedalboard when technicians were fixing the overhead tarp. You could see the passion and smiles well up as they relive these moments together.
LYRA Album Review
This is an album of growth for Perfect By Tomorrow which was self-recorded and produced in their basement. You wouldn’t be able to tell it was mixed through the cold winter in Bellingham, WA because this album is filled with hot tracks. As musicians and songwriters, I’ve definitely seen these guys come a long way in their craft. This is a culmination of their talents so far in their early careers.
They cook things up with “Humans” on the opening track. The song starts off smooth and melodic before kicking into a fucking awesome riff on the keyboards. During our interview, Andon was quick to answer, “psychedelic dub rock” when asked about their sound. I can see why with this track!
Pay attention to the keys through this album as he is a great new addition to this band. But quickly into the next track, they prove why they ultimately answered about their diverse sound. “Bag of Bones” is a beautifully arranged song, with Joe taking the lead on vocals. He also writes all of the band’s lyrics.
You’ll notice that Joe and Turner go back and forth on lead vocals on Lyra to eventually share the role on a few songs. I love how they do this since they are both great singers and they are uniquely different. Turner’s voice is noticeably stronger and more dynamic these days.
East coast veterans, Bumpin Uglies, make an appearance on “Medication” and is one of my three top songs for sure. It’s a slow, steady, and heavy and it speaks on one of my favorite things in the world, the ganja! They get weird with their off-the-wall buddy on the dub track, “Riley’s Interlude,” so the confusion is intentional. (He didn’t know they were recording him, shhh). They oddly enough follow up with “Weird Kids.”
Lyra begins to wrap up with “7:45.” By my best interpretation, this is a song about the monotony of everyday life and being stuck in a rut. “No Worries” comes in just in time to get the good vibes cranking again before getting into my absolute favorite song on the project, “Staring at the Sky.” Morgan kept the low end riding for all ten tracks but he really shines on this one. PBT changes moods wonderfully and Justin on drums is also a stand out keeping time on point while they interchange through tempos.
This is certainly an album you can listen through its entirety and you may catch yourself back on track one listening to it again! Perfect By Tomorrow had their album release party at The Shakedown in Bellingham, WA last Friday with a whole new line up of merchandise.
Upcoming Shows
- June 21st – Taste of Tacoma *Pond Stage 3:00 PM
- June 29th – Yakima Uncorked Wine & Beer Fest 7:00 PM
- July 19th – Bite of Seattle *Fountain Stage 3:00 PM
- July 20th – 20 Corners Brewing Co. *Woodinville 5:00 PM
- August 10th – Taco Wars *Sunnyside
- August 13th – Doug Fir Lounge w/ Katastro *Portland
