Alter The Press! Presents: The Lonely Forest

A promising successor to their influences, The Lonely Forest combine a pop-aesthetic on top of an indie rock backdrop. Aided by Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie fame) who made the band the first signing to his new label, Trans Records. Their debut record 'Arrows' as a whole blends morose melodies and is completely counteracted with cheerful hooks that reak of optimism.

Comparisons to bands that range from Jimmy Eat World to 90's troubadours Nirvana may inquisitively turn heads at first but from listening, each of them is understandable. Having recently just come off of a tour of the USA with their main influences, Death Cab for Cutie, the band plans to hit the road with Two Door Cinema Club later this year.


For Fans Of: Death Cab For Cutie, REM, Nirvana, Jimmy Eat World, and Talking Heads.

Interview with John Van Deusen (Vocalist/Guitarist)

Alter The Press: Why should Alter The Press! readers check you out?
The Lonely Forest: What a loaded question!! Why should you check any band out? It's the process of discovery, and that we might end up being your favorite band; or we might end up being the worst band in the world. You've got a 1 in 10 chance we're good. I hope, though, you'd find us OK. We're 4 nice guys playing guitars, bass, and drums.

ATP: What's the story behind the band?
TLF: The story of our band is pretty simple: We're 4 childhood friends from a small town (Anacortes, Washington) that have been playing music together for quite some time. We love to play music together, and we're fortunate to have had the opportunity to perform in front of more and more people as time has worn on. Braydn [Krueger, the drummer for TLF] and I are the same year in school. Braydn and Eric (Sturgeon - bassist) had played together in a band, and Eric and Tony (Ruland, guitarist) knew each other from around school. Eventually, the guys got to a point where they needed a singer and Braydn suggested me. That was some time ago.

ATP: Single highlight as a band so far?
TLF: For me, and probably for the band, the highlight has been sharing the stage with our longtime favorite band, Death Cab for Cutie. I think my favorite moment was our show with them in Washington DC at the 9:30 Club. It's the best I've ever seen Death Cab play. What a privilege it was!

ATP: What are your plans for the 12 months?
TLF: Our plans for the next 12 months include touring as much as we can, essentially playing in front of as many people as we can, and meeting as many folks as we can. That's it. We might throw in some songwriting time too - for good measure.

'Arrows' by The Lonely Forest is available now on Trans Records.

Purchase 'Arrows' on Amazon and iTunes.

Official Website
The Lonely Forest on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Youtube, and iTunes Ping.

Words by George Gadd