Having previously been part of the goth-bent shoegaze band, C’est la Mort, married couple Kim House (bass, vocals, synths) and Geoffrey Cox (guitar) are joined by former Death Cab for Cutie / Long Winters drummer Michael Schorr, and form Fotoform, a trio with a bold sound which lifts heavily from both the post punk vanguard and the more atmospheric side of shoegaze.
The band released their self-titled debut in 2017, followed a Part-Time Punks Sessions EP the next year, and began recording their impending album, Horizons, before the 2020 lockdown, including Evan Foster (Boss Martians, The Sonics, Dirty Sidewalks) and later drummer Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Mastodon, Pearl Jam).
Kim House has a long statement about Running, the album's first single and its accompanying video: "Running was the first song we wrote with the new lineup (myself, Geoff, Michael), almost a statement of purpose as we rethought how we approached our sound and writing. With one less guitar we had more space to play with and fill- or intentionally not fill. It was inspiring, and in some ways freeing, to reconstruct and re-envision everything. I’d just started playing around with a drum machine and 16-track at home, and this one was a result of really stripping back everything to the bass and vocals and then building it up from there.
"At its core Running is about peeling back the layers to connect with your innermost self. Summoning the courage, patience and stillness to distill it down and uncover what truly matters, to listen to our hearts and tap into the subconscious. It’s about facing fears and insecurities and having the courage to go after what will truly make you happy (or “make your heart happy” as my dad would say), which oftentimes might be in the opposite direction of what we’re running toward, whether in relationships, life paths and choices, etc.
"The hardest thing sometimes is to look deep within and listen to ourselves, to follow our instincts and face what we may know is true but are too afraid to admit for fear of change, risk, loss, disappointment, or failure.
"On a personal level, Running was written in the midst of a period of significant change and reflection. I had just left my role as Footwear Design Director at Nordstrom. It was a whirlwind of a job I held for many years – one which required lots of travel in the US and Europe, intense long hours, and barely enough room for other passions or pursuits. It was rewarding, but almost all encompassing."
More of Fotoform's many-sided post punk is expected in the near future, as the band prepared to return to touring, and are already writing for their next releases, including a split with legends, Savage Republic.