Photos by Palentina Lam and Ava DeGrinis at The Moroccan Lounge
Aspen Forest is the boogie fingers meets head thrashing band your ‘I need to merge into the fast-lane’ indie playlist needs. Their sound marries infectious, reverb-drenched guitar melodies with relatable resonant vocals, all underscored by driving, post-punk inspired percussion. Brainchild of frontman Aspen, the band exudes a breezy, effortlessly cool vibe. Their air of intrigue is prevalent not only in their music but also visually in their performances and videos.
The first time I got to see them live was at an elbow to elbow Wednesday night show at The Echo this past January, with Ulitsa Vostok opening. The vibrating crowd surrounded the half moon stage leaving little breathing room between Aspen and his lyric spewing, ankle throwing fans. The band’s dance-inducing performance and genuine connection to the audience left a lasting impact and instigated a quick follow on Spotify.
A month and some change later, I just so happened to run into Aspen (once again proving how tightly knit LA’s music community is, despite its vast size), donning a main character-esque checkerboard beanie at fellow alt-rock artist Max Fry’s show. He told me he was there observing performance styles and examining crowd responses (sans pen + clipboard). There, I also learned his real name is Yegor and he lived in Ukraine up until the end of his teens (although his Eastern European accent was nearly indistinguishable). His unique backstory and student-like approach to performing piqued my curiosity, so when he mentioned his upcoming show at DTLA’s Moroccan Lounge I jumped at the opportunity and locked in a quick interview before they went on. Following a lively soundcheck, the newly solidified band, dressed in cool–but-not-try-hard attire joined me in and on top of a leather booth to talk shop.
(Left to right) Misha (bass), Nico (drums), Aspen (lead vocals + rhythm guitar), Aidan (lead guitar) // Photo by Ava DeGrinis
Initially, when I hear ‘Aspen Forest,’ images of lush foliage and towering white-barked canopies emerge in my head, however, the moniker actually originated from the title of an ambient instrumental song by one of Aspen’s favorite artists, Gorillaz. The abstract, nuanced name felt right for the vision of their progressive sound and also paid homage to one of the most iconic bands in the alt-rock space; so it stuck – so much so that it even became Yegor’s stage name.
Aspen’s music career began after he moved to the vibrant ‘it’ scene of LA. He confessed he actually stumbled into music production while studying film.
“I was editing a film, and then my friend showed me Ableton and I was like, ‘Oh it’s just like Final Cut.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, wait, it’s actually not that crazy to make a song.’ Before, I thought you had to record it all in one take with the whole band, but it’s just this layering process and it all made sense.”
Aspen by Palentina Lam
Aspen revealed back in 2020 he got his start in music production making lo-fi hip hop beats. He explained how he started experimenting with indie melodies, “I just picked up the guitar again and started messing with it. I was like, ‘You know what? This is what I like – this is the sound. This is what I truly feel connected to.’
The aspirational indie seed sprouted and Aspen started to hone in on the band’s sound, which Aspen said is even still a work in progress. Over the last eight months, the rest of the band assembled piece by piece, each bringing their own sonic flair to the harmonic equation. They explained their creative development process continues to get tighter and tighter, being able to conjure songs in only 15 minutes riffing in the studio. They even ended up performing a song that night that they had come up with 2-3 days prior, lyrics mostly improvised.
Aspen Forest by Ava DeGrinis
The band added that they also have a fail safe strategy they employ to ensure the music is flowing – playing musical chairs with their instruments; “We do a whole band switch.” Aspen explained the impact of this exercise: “You instantly understand how the song is flowing, what is working, what is not working. It’s going back to the roots of music. It’s just a vibe. If you’re not vibing, the song is dead. It has to move you.” The quartet even switched instruments mid performance at the show, thrilling the crowd.
The band’s experimental spirit resonates in their most recent single ‘Oblivion’ where they push themselves to flee the allure of status quo. “We were like, ‘Fuck it. We got to start making something weird, something that’s not pleasant. Push the envelope a little bit in terms of the overall sound because everything is stagnant right now.’” Masters of sonic exploration and pushers of sonorous boundaries like Tame Impala and Gorillaz (of course) serve as exemplary influences to the group, however, they also draw inspiration from genres outside of the alt-rock space to spark unexpected revelations.
“I can even hear some random weird trap song, and I’m not even close to liking it, but there will be one little laser sound. I’m like, ‘Oh, shit. What if I put that in an intro of the song that sounds like this?’ You know what I mean? It’s just open information. It’s like, ‘Oh, cool. Everything you hear goes in.'”
Aspen was serious when he said ‘everything you hear goes in.” He and the band retain sounds not only from other songs, but also from noises and sounds from their day-to-day life. Nico compared the notion to a common practice of jazz musicians, mimicking the noises they hear in a crowd, like a cough or a murmur.
Aspen Forest’s enthusiastic commitment to keeping their sound fresh by disciplined mental reframing exercises will be key to keeping the work exciting and resonant with audiences – because as we know, the music industry (and everything else in this world) moves lightning fast; novelty and innovation have become required elements in earning precious eyeball and eardrum time from the masses.
Aspen Forest by Palentina Lam
When asked about new music, Aspen affirmed that the band is in their ‘grind mode’ era and plans to release new songs at least every two months, an album definitely being top of mind. After our thoughtful chat, we reached the beloved rapid fire portion of the interview where answers are timed (3 seconds) and must come from the heart (leave your head behind).
Ideal place to listen to Aspen Forest Music: Bedroom
Dream Venue: Hollywood Bowl
Best album of all time: Demon Days by Gorillaz
Air guitar or air drums: Air drums
If you had to play a different genre of music, what would it be? Jazz… Jazz fusion
Go-to karaoke song: Creep
Describe your music in three words
Aspen: Romantic, vibey–
Nico: Trippy
Aspen: …Cute!
Aidan: Suuper silly
When asked for any last words (mantras/dad jokes/life lessons/etc.), Aspen said that he’s been really into flashy platitudes: “Pedal to the metal. Through the grapevine. Pick your poison. They just amuse me so much, little weird phrases that don’t make sense. Like – I was like, ‘Yo, pull up to the show’ to someone and they said, ‘Oh, I can’t, but cut the rug for me.’ I was like, what? I don’t know even know what that means.”
Nico topped us off with one final phrase before they escaped to the green room: “If you ain’t red-lining, you ain’t headlining.”
