It’s rare when bands from high school stay together once they graduate, and it’s even more rare when young bands create polished, well-written material. But Denver band The Baltic has done both of these things. The group’s sound is a mishmash of rock, psych and shoegaze topped off with sweeping, dreamy vocals and romantic riffs. The four-piece has certainly had some time finding the right sound—The Baltic met in middle school, and they’ve been making music together ever since. Unfortunately, the band has been split across the country as each of the members attend college in a different state. Despite being apart during the school year, The Baltic is making it work. Consisting of Adam Dankowski (guitar/vocals), Graham Epstein (drums/vocals), Jose Chalit (guitar) and Josh Kaplan (bass), the emerging band is here to stay.
“We all ended up meeting through middle school and living nearby [each other] growing up in the suburbs of Denver,” said Chalit in an email interview. “We all met at different times and places, but eventually started hanging out and playing together as The Baltic in 2012.”
Citing influences such as Tame Impala, The Strokes and Sigur Ros, The Baltic is taking inspiration from some of music’s best. The band also takes inspiration from other sources in film, art and nature. According to Epstein, The Baltic’s influences include “Alejandro Jodorowsky, [David] Lynch, Nicholas Roeg films, the ocean, Futurism, Saoirse Ronan and Antarctica.”
In addition to non-musical influences, The Baltic has had some guidance within a supportive local music scene. Notably, Kyle Miller, member of Denver psych band Plum, helped the group produce some tracks. Eric Halborg of Dragondeer and Reed Fuchs of DéCollage have also worked with the band. The group played a successful single release show for new song “San Francisco” with a supporting lineup of local bands Albny, Space Suits for Indians and LSD Bags. Despite the distance between the group, The Baltic has some additional plans for later this year.
“No one likes long-distance relationships, so we try to communicate as much as we can via text and call each other frequently to stay afresh with what one another are doing,” Chalit explained. “We come together to play during vacations and holidays, so we’re always looking forward to the summer for festival season, recording and holiday shows.”
Even though each member is hundreds of miles apart from each other, The Baltic hopes to release an EP which they recorded last summer—after finding time to add finishing touches and promote the EP, it should be released this year. The band has no shows planned, but according to Chalit, they’re hoping to play shows this summer in Denver and in L.A. as well. To stay updated, follow the band on Facebook.
