Adrien Daller, First Lady of the duo TROUBLE LIGHTS, is really really excited right now. Why, you ask? Because she's getting a ton of shit done. With their debut album The Endless Prom just hitting the digital (and actual) shelves, they've been setting the midwest on fire, and that fire is quickly spreading. Let's get burned, y'all!
When asked, "Who is TROUBLE LIGHTS?" You would get two names: Adrien Daller and Philip Rabalalais, both of whom have been making music individually for quite a long time. Being a classically trained singer and performer, Adrien has taken a recent turn to the dance floor, clearly a second home she was meant to discover, if not a forgotten first. Philip has been involved with other midwest-based music projects (Porno Galactica, Animal, and Utopia Park to name a few), and now is the music man of TROUBLE LIGHTS. As Ms. Daller puts it,
"We don't want to lose sight of the fact that I'm a little girl who loves to play dress up, and he's a geeky guy who loves computers."
This is a fairly straightforward answer, but branching out a bit into the midwest music scene which they consider their community, you would soon discover that to them, this may be their own music project, but without the support of others they wouldn't exist. Combining forces with the likes of Leslie Hall of Leslie and the Lies, Mumford's, Surgery, Little Ruckus (the alter-ego of Philip Rabalais' brother Dom Rabalais) and Christopher the Conquered to name a few, they hang out under the cozy umbrella of the Maximum Ames record label and the community around it, creating what it is, while simultaneously shifting its form at will.
"There's a really awesome trend going on right now, not only in Iowa, of supporting your local community, and that being cool again," Daller says. This is the second answer to "Who is TROUBLE LIGHTS?" On the one hand, you've got two insanely talented and driven people. On the other, you've got them mixed into a handful of other bands and artists, all who are completely stoked to contribute to one another musically, or with their talent in filmmaking, photography, fashion design, stagework, makeup...the list goes on as they write it. "I like making music because I like collaborating. I don't want to just do this by myself, I want to be surrounded by amazing people," Adrien says.
Inspired by a number of bands out of Sweden, Denmark and elsewhere such as iamamiwhoami, Robyn, Bjork, "the birthmother of this style," and other "art bands," where music is the seed of what they deliver, but not even close to what they represent. There are also storylines and elaborate costume designs, beautifully filmed and edited videos and kick-ass personal style all tied within who they are as musicians, performers, and individuals.
There is a simultaneous expression of darkness and light, both stylistically and emotionally within the music of TROUBLE LIGHTS. The album is wholly focused on heartbreak, with the encouragement of dancing your way through it, so to speak. There are also songs that are simply sweet, others fiercely driven by sexuality. The joyful melancholy is gorgeous enough, but paired with the androgynous attitude and style of the duo, the level of sexy goes up exponentially and mirrors the genius of the tracks themselves.
The vinyl of The Endless Prom is available on the Maximum Ames Records website, and if you order that ASAP, you'll be gifted a free fashion magazine made by TROUBLE LIGHTS themselves. The photos are looped with quotes from Adrien and Philip's old journals and diaries and as she puts it, "it is so brutal." This was enough to get me to order mine. Guys. I'm so down with this album.
For more info on other Maximum Ames bands and projects, click here.
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