Lehnen Blog

I SEE YOUR SHADOW

After roughly 6 years in this band, we found it was time to address what Lehnen is really all about. So much has happened since we first started out. Many things wonderful, some, on the other hand, disheartening and frustrating. One's motivations for being an artist can get lost in the hectic lifestyle that accompanies being in a band, so it was time for us to find our way back to the heart of what inspired us in the first place.

As a young band, Joel and I first sought out to make big, epic rock music; music you didn't find all too often in Vienna, Austria. The first song sketches layed bare in front of us, and eventually, through the addition of two multi-talented Austrians (Stefan and Martin), we expanded on our sound. Songs came to life, the first demo came into existence, we scraped together the money to have it mixed and mastered, and we released the music to the public. Like every band starting out, we were excited as hell! We dreamt of massive tours, fandom and fame, and the opportunity to make positive changes in the world. It was time to begin.

Next came our first album, "This Could Be Our Dream Home", an album full of ambition, but ultimately, full of compromise due to many factors. What was supposed to be an album full of climaxes and theatrics turned out to be one of mixed moods. Critics and "fans" alike agreed on that. But it was our first album. You must be allowed to make mistakes in your early stages.

Next up: "Awake". Our second album led us into more experimental pastures. Our love for electronic music was put on display more frequently than on our previous works; something we were excited to try out. Nonetheless, we still found ourselves struggling with our identity. Our desire to write an album entirely cohesive and flowing put us under greater pressure than we could handle. Once again, compromises were made, and songs that perhaps should've been left out or replaced with other more suitable pieces found their way on to the final cut, but we were proud and happy with our accomplishment. Still, our dreams were far, far away from coming true.

After releasing "Awake", we began touring the USA for longer periods of time finding that the people over there were surprisingly much more open to our sound than our hometown. That's not to say people in Austria have not been kind to us. We continue to play wonderful concerts here on our hometurf, but latest by the time we began work on our next EP, "We Were Made for Destruction", we realised something: "Lehnen is not exactly, and perhaps WON'T BE, "IN" in Austria". So we drew inspiration from our friends in the US (bands such as Caspian, Junius, Constants, Rosetta, etc...) as they toured both Europe and the states, watching them completely DESTROY audiences with their powerful rock anthems. It wasn't so much their music or their sound that inspired us. It was the fact that they DID WHAT THEY WANTED without caring if their music conformed to current trends.

So, in mid-2011, we found ourselves back at home after our second tour of the US that broke us financially and left some of us confused and even heartbroken. It was time for a change; a change unlike the ones we'd experienced before. We decided to write the SONG, not the album, do whatever it takes to make it the best song possible even if it meant passing on the temptation to rely on things like electronic beats, and let that wall of sound breath from time to time, sometimes even leaving vocals out. "I See Your Shadow" was conceived using a new mindset: Do the best you can, have fun with it, and stop looking to the future for change. Change is everywhere you choose to see it. Using this mindset and 1,5 years of stage absence (along with help from Ronny Dangl in the studio and Will Benoit of Radar Recording Studios behind the mix and mastering), 10 songs finally found a way to live in harmony.

Another change we decided to make pertains to finding a home for our band (by home I mean a "label"). After being told that our music "is great, but unmarketable" by more labels we'd care to admit, we decided it was time to really market it ourselves. CLOUD CONTACT RECORDS was born. Our very own label for music inspired by beautiful, ambient music; a label that not only aims to inspire hope through sound, but by making financial contributions to charitable organisations.

Sonically, "I See Your Shadow" is closer to our initial dream than anything we've released in the past. Upon first looking at the song titles and scanning through the lyrics, one may be tempted to believe this album is about death. It isn't. Death is a prominent character that reappears when necessary, driving the REAL point home : "Life won't wait. If you have love in your life, embrace it and never let go."; a message made even more personal to the members of our band by the passing of several loved ones in our family and the families involved in the creation of the record. But while they moved on, we feel like we've been given the chance to start anew.

Now, assuming we are truly starting over, does our dream of success and fame look the same as it did way back in 2006? To a certain degree, yes, of course. Who WOULDN'T want to tour and play for a living? Who wouldn't want their name plastered all over massive billboards and stadium signs. Who doesn't long for acceptance and affirmation for their creation? These are drives that continue to inspire us along with just about every other band on the face of the planet.

But perhaps the most important thing we have learned as band over the last 7 years is this: while you're waiting for your dreams to come true, make sure to live your life as if it had already happened. If you want to make an impact, you can't wait to do it until you have everyone's attention. Be thankful for what you have and put your passion and thankfulness for it on display on as many stages and records as possible until you're absolutely unable to go on. THAT is what Lehnen is about. THAT is what we want to continue to do.

The second to last song on the new record , "Take Me Home", finds Joel admitting "Time, I see your shadow as you're swallowing my light". Until that light goes out, we'll be here doing what we love and believe in. We would like to thank everyone who made this record and this BAND possible over the years! Here's to many more!

God Bless, Matthew//LEHNEN