The moment, around 10 years ago, when Marvic Lewis took on the name of Indigo as her alter ego, she effectively shut the door on a large part of her musical career. She knew only too well however, that what was to follow – a new chapter, a fresh start and a different musical direction that is constantly evolving – was her true calling.
The one sure thing I knew I wanted was to keep developing our sound and take it to another level
“Indigo was launched in 2003,” she confirms. “At the time I had decided to pursue a solo career and a totally different direction to what I had done until then.”
Ten years on, and three years since the project was rechristened Indigo Darkpsych – the additional term intended to truly reflect the darker and heavier elements that her musical journey was embracing – Lewis is back with a new, third album.
All that Remains, which received a soft launch locally a few months ago and will be released this Spring through UK label Ravenheart, represents a number of further changes in her quest. These changes, in Indigo terms, are really nothing out of the ordinary. After all, as Lewis herself admits, “it has essentially been one continuous stream of musical evolution since the release of my debut album Struck, in 2006”.
That album had been well-received, both by critics and by the public. Apart from bringing the singer’s uniquely powerful voice to the fore it also had, despite a distinct yet subtle step into the darker realms of rock, spawned a clutch of popular radio singles.
This is something she has had less of since the release of her 2010 album These are the Roots. An altogether darker and much heavier body of work, her sophomore release made up for the radio presence by endearing Indigo Darkpsych to a new audience.
Locally it helped the band infiltrate the underground metal scene. Internationally, their music started to attract a mixture of online fans from various genres, all tuning in to the goth, industrial and metal traits that lent an evident alternative edge to the music.
In contrast to Struck, which was more of a solo album recorded with session musicians, both These are the Roots and All that Remains have been produced with a band format.
Of course, the initial groundwork always starts with Lewis, and for this latest release she says she started to put pen to paper around January 2012. “In real terms, work on the album started around a month after that,” she explains. “We managed to have it all finished – from the songwriting stage to recording and production – by the end of August.”
As with the previous album, All that Remains was recorded at Spinesplitter Studios with David Depasquale, whom Lewis co-produced the album with.
“David is also the guitarist in the band,” Lewis continues. “We have an amazing working relationship when it comes to music. We understand each other perfectly, probably because, to an extent, we have similar mindsets when it comes to making music.”
Another thing they also share is similar musical tastes, largely rooted in extreme metal (but not only) as well as the beat-fuelled crossover sounds that electronic music has inspired in the metal genre, and which is very much present on All that Remains.
But was this on the cards from the get-go?
“At the songwriting stage, I only had a distant idea of where I wanted this album to go musically,” she recalls. “The one sure thing I knew I wanted was to keep developing the sounds we had explored on These are the Roots and take them to another level.”
One wonders then, whether the inclusion, indeed the prominence of electronic elements on this record was intended that far back.
“I started out writing and playing out my ideas on a synthesiser. But to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure how and if I would manage to translate what I had in mind when it came to the next stage,” Lewis concedes. “However, while working in the studio with David, we had the time to explore and experiment, which gave us the opportunity to find the right sound for each individual song.”
Further to the characteristic heavy, down-tuned and distorted guitars that have become staple ingredients of Indigo Darkpsych’s sound, she explains that the use of electronica lent the music a more modern sound. “It sort of balanced out the heavier slant of the guitar work, while the chunkier, faster beats give the music extra energy.”
Of particular note, apart from the lead single Shining Inside and the title track, both available to listen to at Indigo Darkpsych’s Reverbnation page, the album also includes a cover of The Prodigy’s Serial Thrilla, which fits hand in glove with the hybrid nature that drives the music on All that Remains.
“I have to say I’m a big Prodigy fan,” she explains. “I thought having female voices on it would give it an interesting and different perspective.”
It does, and not just on this one track. All that Remains is very much a venture into new territory for Indigo Darkpsych – one she sounds like she’s very comfortable in.
“I still haven’t got to the sound I want to have though,” she admits. “I think that will happen on the next album.”
For now, however, this is All that Remains.
Indigo Darkpsych is Indigo (vocals), David Depasquale (guitars), Kurt Pace (guitars) and Daniel Said (drums). For news on the album launch and the band, visit www.facebook.com/indigo.darkpsych.