Dating apps are generally used to find a romantic connection with someone, but for Emily and Kyle in East of June, a swipe turned into a musical connection.
Videos by American Songwriter
Through the dating app, Kyle came across the profile of vocalist Emily Rath. This unconventional way of meeting eventually turned into a band with a tight-knit bond.
Kyle Mortensen and Dirk Lance became friends in high school and have both became very involved in the music industry. When they decided to form a band together, they knew they needed another piece to complete the puzzle. That’s where Emily came in.
Three years later and the East of June trio is making their mark on the music industry.
Their latest release, “Little Bird” was written at the beginning of quarantine. The band didn’t let the poor timing slow them down one bit though. They hopped onto zoom, listened to Kyle pitch the idea and with a little teamwork, the song came together quite beautifully.
“We refuse to let this time be a determent to the band. We have to keep going,” says Emily.
“That first week when we were on lockdown in L.A., my first instinct was to grab my acoustic and come up with something really simple, something that we can record so that the train doesn’t stop,” says Kyle.
When Emily pondered over the melody about what the song made her feel, she was brought back to the experience of moving out of her parent’s home.
“I wanted to find that feeling from the parent’s side as well because as much as it’s hard for a child to leave their comfort zone, it’s just as hard sometimes for parents.”
Emily and Kyle can relate to this song as they think back to how their parents must have felt when they sent their child off to school for the first time, became empty nesters and all the other milestones that children reach.
Dirk had a slightly different view of the song as a parent himself, but as he honestly expressed to American Songwriter, he wasn’t fully sold on it at first.
“I started looking at it no longer from the point of view of a guy in the band, but what it means as a statement, as a song. That’s when I think everyone has their own moment of ‘well what does this mean to me.’”
The band took this song to the next level by adding their own personal touches to the music video and now they are encouraging others to do the same on social media.
Throughout the video, photos fade in and out, each portraying a pivotal time in their lives. The band members shared more of their childhood photos that showcased some of their best memories. They asked their followers to do the same in order to “remember back to our ‘Little Bird’ days.”
Each of the singles that the bad has released so far has had a different vibe to it. This has kept their listeners on their toes, wondering what kind of song they will put out next.
With the help of their current fundraiser, East of June hopes to release an EP early next year.
Listen to “Little Bird” here:
