Bleu Grave Feature 

• Sydney Swensen
• Bleu Grave

Sometimes it can be hard to get into your groove as a band—literally and figuratively. It takes work to write music that represents you as a group, and to make sure you vibe well as a collective entity. SLC new wave band Bleu Grave have found that groove—and there's nowhere for them to go but up.

Bleu Grave dropped their first moody, new wave-inspired track a year ago this month, and have gained a fair amount of traction since then. The band has over 13,000 listeners on Spotify alone, and nearly 22,000 followers on Instagram. Though there was a lineup change earlier this summer, they say the future of the band is looking bright.

"I'm loving where we're going now," said vocalist/rhythm guitarist Solomon Swensen. Solomon is joined by his brother Smith Swensen (lead guitar), as well as brothers Nick (drums) and Luke (bass) Fabbri. "Nick and Luke are super-talented. They're probably the most talented band members I've ever played with," Solomon said.

Their first full, self-titled album was released with the previous lineup, and it laid a solid foundation for the group. But the boys of Bleu Grave are more excited about their EP Blush Ballet, and the future work they'll be doing with these current members.

"I would describe [Bleu Grave] as a mixtape, with a lot of different genres on that album," Solomon said. The biggest challenge putting it together was doing everything fully DIY, and having a perfectionist monkey stuck on their backs.

"I'm very much a perfectionist, but I already have to kick myself, because I know it's never going to be perfect," Solomon said. "This was during a time when I was still learning how to record things in my bedroom. I'm pretty proud of it. I mean, it's got that raw aspect to it, which we were going for, not to be overly produced. I think there's a lot of unique songs on there."

Bleu Grave is a perfect demonstration of the band's evolution according to the group, whereas Blush Ballet is the future. Watching Bleu Grave gush about Blush Ballet is like watching kids in a candy store—huge smiles and excitement for what will happen next. "Blush Ballet is just an upgrade to our self-titled record. It just got way better. And ... Nick adding his drum parts to that was very significant," Smith said. "We're trying to outperform ourselves."

The EP is heavily inspired by goth and new wave vibes, a niche Bleu Grave feel that they're able to fill since there's not a ton of other bands in the area with the same sound. However, there's influence from each member of the band on the EP—some enjoy bands like Black Sabbath, Type O Negative, while others are influenced by the likes of Joy Division and New Order. They've taken all of these influences and their amazing connection as a group to create their signature sound. "It makes this kind of Frankenstein music, which is pretty sick. I think it's awesome," Smith said.

Blush Ballet dropped in June, but the band has two brand-new singles that are a must-have for your library if you're in the mood for those new-wavy goth vibes. "Unseen" came out in August, and starts with a random riff, as many great songs do. From there, the rest came together with each member contributing elements until it got to where they wanted it. "I think it just came naturally," Smith said. "It's this slow dive, '70s psychedelic approach that kind of wrote itself," he said.

Their most recent release, "VALENTINE," takes a bit of a different approach, starting out with energetic electronic elements and drums that will make you want to break out your legwarmers. Then as the song progresses, you get the heavily-drenched reverb sound from the guitar and the signature lamenting vocals. It's the perfect song for anyone who just wants that one person to be their valentine.

Bleu Grave is very excited for what the future holds for them as a band. Their main goal is to do a full album with the current lineup, and share their music live as much as possible. The new album will definitely have a wide range of influences, like their previous releases, and with that, they hope they can appeal to more listeners.

"I think we're similar to The Cure, where they're all over the place with their albums," Smith said. They enjoy how The Cure put out a healthy mix of happier tracks mixed in with darker ones. "We're wanting to test the emotions of our listeners," he added. Bleu Grave is still trying to completely solidify their identity, but they believe they're definitely on the right track.

Keep up with Bleu Grave and their future projects by following them on their Instagram @bleugrave, and by checking out their website bleugravemusic.com for updates and merch, if you feel so inclined. You can also catch Bleu Grave live at The Rise (247 W Center St.) in Provo on Friday, Sept 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 and can be found at theriseutah.com, or bought at the door.