Band of Brothers – The Normas – Find The Groove

The Normas are not normal. And that is a very good thing.

Too polite to be true misfits — yet still walking through life and its endless obstacles with a swagger that carries a hint of menace — the Columbus-based indie/pop-rock quintet is on the cusp of something bigger. Something better. They can feel it.

On a sunny October afternoon, all five of them — Charles Glausier (bass, synthesizers, vocals), Trenton Golden (drums, percussion), Josh Mellman (keys, vocals), Lars Smallwood (lead guitar), and Logan Swaim (rhythm guitar,vocals) — assembled for an interview and explained why.

“When it was just me, the music was pretty bad,” frontman Logan Swaim jokes. The band had its genesis in a solo project of his that fell by the wayside during the COVID lockdown.

“Then Josh and I started living together and writing songs. And then I met Trenton at a WCUG event, Electric City Cafe, where Trenton was playing with a band called “Kids with Matches.” I asked him if he’d be open to drumming for a live show. In October 2021, Josh, Trenton and I played our first show together.”

A band for roughly 18 months now, The Normas have already graced the stage at high-profile Atlanta venues Smith’s Olde Bar and the Masquerade. Every weekend for the past year, Logan explains, their music has taken them to play in Atlanta or Rome. Yet, “because of our genre of music, even though it’s accessible, it’s niche,” he says, getting gigs in Columbus “has been touch and go.”

That changes this month. The Normas’ November presents a nice slate of shows to perform back in their hometown, ready to show Columbus what they’re all about. The band is booked to play The Living Room (super hip pop-up venue in the super hip 3200 block of Howard Avenue) on Thursdays the 2nd and 9th. Next up is JarFest on Saturday the 11th, when they’re on a bill with a bunch of like-minded bands. This run ends with an exclamation point at The Loft, where they’ll orchestrate the good-vibes madness that comes the Friday night after Thanksgiving, always prime-time party time.

This all comes on the heels of the Normas’ release on October 27th of their sophomore studio effort, The Night Before. All band members agree the new album marks a major step up from 2022’s Sweet Nothings.

“We all like our first record very much,” Lars says, “but this one is much more dynamic. The first one has a fun pop energy to it but on this one we allowed the songs to progress. So it’s not so straightforward but has more momentum, with peaks and valleys.”

“We worked to emphasize minimalism,” Josh explains of their new, more mature approach which led to a better sound and better songs. “When to play and when not to play. Not doing too much when we don’t have to.”

As the Normas’ primary songwriters, Josh says he and Logan “always collaborate” when creating music. However, in writing “Table for Two,” the second single off The Night Before, “For the first time ever, Logan and I sat right next to each other and coached each other on what lyrics work best and where, what sounds best and where,” Josh recalls. “We wrote that one in an afternoon.”

“Table for Two” is a gem that slips into your bloodstream, smooth and easy, like a thief in the night you’ve invited inside. It sounds like California and feels like floating on waves under a bright blue sky. It’s about love, as all songs are. The fast, quick-hit chord progressions are light and breezy but the words come from a wisened perspective, one that finally sees past all the bullshit and just wants everything to be okay.

Adding layers and textures to the The Night Before’s 11 songs, Charles’ production work comes inspired by the vintage style of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, with dense, sprawling layers of vocal harmonies. Working with material cut in studio sessions at Cancer Records in West Point, Charles says it was fun to add Moog synthesizer grooves, big drum fills, and fuzz-rock guitar. The atmospheric effect is the exact mood the band wanted to dial in.

“Musicians who we listen to and who have been doing this for decades tell us, ‘Hey, you’re doing something right, you’re going in the right direction.’ That reassurance means so much because it’s very difficult to make it in music,” Trenton says. “It helps us feel like we’re not wasting our time. Because if you enjoy making music, then that’s what it’s all about. It’s just sad to see so many talented people not push it beyond that point of starting out like we are now.”

“We all have day jobs right now but we’re committed to being weekend rockstars until we are able to do it full time,” Josh says. “I think we’re on our way and this new album could be our launching point.”

To see more of their work and learn about upcoming shows and projects, The Normas are mainly on Instagram @thenormas and all of their music is on all streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.

By Frank Etheridge