Idle Ray is Devon, Frances, Fred with help on drums from Nick, Emily, and Jayson.
Idle Ray, in their own words:
"Slowly, Idle Ray became a real band. It started, vaguely, loosely, sometime in 2019 as one more solo project in a long line of solo projects from Michigan musician and songwriter Fred Thomas. Fred had been playing in various bands and on stages by himself for ages, with some of his best work coming in the form of melancholic, reverb-friendly pop from groups he was in such as Saturday Looks Good to Me and Failed Flowers. At first, Idle Ray was a continuation of that sound, and a return to the dreamy medium of four track cassette as a notepad for Thomas' short, fuzzy, and always melodic songs. After releasing a self-titled LP in 2021, Idle Ray started booking shows, with bassist Devon Clausen, guitarist/vocalist Frances Ma, and drummer Emily Roll all gradually joining in. As more touring ensued, Nick German rocked the drums at times as well.
It took a couple of years, but this shift from Idle Ray being a solitary affair to more of a collective, breathing entity is reflected in the group's second album, Even in the Spring. The songs are still captured in rusty colors on four track tape, the performances are energetic full-band affairs. Each songwriter contributes to the album, and each sings lead on the songs they wrote. The contrast in styles and perspectives makes every song on the album just a little bit different from all the rest, with a jumpy, jangly song like the Fred-sung "Backwards" feeling miles apart from the blurry shoegazeiness of Frances' "Halo Undefined," or Devon's surfy "Die at Night," but still connected. Additionally, the album underwent many, many revisions, with recording happening in phases over the course of the last three years. Different sessions had different drummers, and along with Emily's minimal floor tom and snare approach and Nick's powerful full-kit explosions, Jayson Gerycz (Cloud Nothings, Monocot) lends his intuitive playing to a few songs as well.
The ten songs that make up Even in the Spring zoom by in exactly 25 minutes. Despite the band writing and recording dozens of potential songs for this album, the brevity of the final product was a very intentional decision. The album is short and sweet by design, built on energetic hooks and genuine feelings of wonder and the sometimes painful search for clarity. Like some of the best records from the bands that inspire Idle Ray's sound -- the Clean, Orange Juice, Felt, Beat Happening, Guided by Voices, and the like -- the album was designed to burn fast and be played on repeat by anyone who finds themselves especially connecting with its sounds. It's the kind of record that can come to define someone's spring, summer, or a less formally-ordained phase. The days that represent the start of something important, or the end, or the unknowing of the in-betweens that can ultimately change us even more.
"Pressed at Archer Record Pressing in Detroit, Michigan, we give you our second record in the full vinyl experience. Full color covers, full color two sided insert with lyrics, photos, and other information, teal colored vinyl, shrink-wrapped for maximum safety and only 300 copies to divvy up amongst the entire world."