Arden, Eva and Emma are Chicago-based group Moonrise Nation. The harmonious trio have just released their debut single "Glamour Child" from their forthcoming debut album, to be released sometime this Spring. In celebration of the release, I spoke with Eva Bee (vocalist, cellist) about "Glamour Child", their place in Chicago's music scene, and upcoming live shows at partnerships with groups like Sofar Sounds.

How did this particular track come together? Both the songwriting and the instrumentation.

We wrote the chorus first. Next came the verses and the melody. The piano followed soon after and is definitely the grounding element of the track. We played with numerous variations of the song, some more mellow than others. When we started exploring the drum part, we realized the melody and lyrics lent themselves to something a bit more upbeat. We love the way the track breathes, and the way certain lyrics and instrumental moments take the listener on a bit of a journey.

Most of our instrumentation is the product of jam sessions, with the final product realized a little farther down the line. We are a very collaborative group, so while one person tends to take the lead on a song as a whole, the entire process is all hands on deck, with suggestions for lyric changes, melody switches, and bridges coming from all directions. At one point, Emma brought forth a bridge from a different song that ended up working really well, so we decided to stick with it. We view our process a bit like solving a puzzle.

Our overall goal for the song was to give an illusion of simplicity: upbeat song with a hooky chorus. When you take a moment to listen to the lyrics, you begin to understand that there’s more depth to the song. We won’t say too much because we prefer listeners connect with lyrics on their own terms, but this song addresses the complexity of the concept of power, or powerful people. What defines power, when is it relinquished, does it depend on the opinions of others or come from within?

Have you taken any direct inspiration from all the music coming out of Chicago right now?

As far as the music we create is concerned, not necessarily. However, we are excited to be part of a generation of Chicago-based musicians that are making waves across the US. We are especially drawn to local musician Noname. Noname brings so much truth and candidness to her lyrics. It’s great to see a female artist doing so well in a traditionally male dominated genre.

What particular voice, sound, story, do you believe you three are bringing to Chicago music? Is it challenging to deliver in Chicago?

We bring an Americana / Indie vibe to the scene here in Chicago. Not to say that bands of this genre don’t already exist, but it is not the most prominent music being circulated at the moment. The music we make is very raw, both instrumentally and lyrically. We believe that this is a departure from a large chunk of the music being produced across the globe, which incorporates a lot of electronic and non-acoustic elements. One of our goals in the studio is to stick to recording things we can replicate with relative ease on stage. While it is exhilarating to explore more electronic elements, we ultimately strive to be clean and organic. Chicago is our hometown. We feel so much pride for this city. The three of us are originally from Oak Park, and were heavily influenced by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright growing up.

It’s challenging for any artist to make a name for themselves, and being women in this industry comes with it’s own set of problems. What makes Chicago special is the variety of genres that surface and find niche followings. There’s a little something for everyone, and we have found that music listeners from Chicago want nothing more than to see the bands they enjoy thrive. It feels like a giant family, and we are always crossing paths with new people and artists that we connect with on a personal level. Instead of constant competition with other groups, it feels as though everyone wants to help each other out to the best of their ability.

You three carry a particularly impactful 3-part harmony - what's it like to share that vocal partnership with each other?

Amazing. Two of us are literally related by blood, but the three-way connection we have through voice intertwines us on a familial level. It’s common for us to hit a three part while rehearsing and break into enormous smiles. Harmonizing is the BEST feeling!

What's on the horizon for the rest of the project? What can we expect?

When we first set off to create this project, the central theme was boundaries. We spent many months exploring and pushing our boundaries as songwriters, musicians, and individuals. It has been a wonderfully collaborative process, and we are very thankful for the people that have been a part of it.

We have put a lot of time and love into our upcoming album, which we will be releasing in the spring (official date TBD). You can expect a mixture of songs that are cohesive yet unique. Each one of us is a contributing songwriter, which is made clear by the diversity in tone and style. There are elements of folk, alt-rock, indie-pop, and jazz. We touch on subjects such as the pain that accompanies the loss of friends and family members, finding a job in your twenties, shifting friendships. It isn’t necessarily coming of age, but it is a collection of music that spans roughly 8 years. A lot has happened in 8 years... About three years ago, the three of us experienced a heartbreaking loss, one that shook us to the core. We suddenly found ourselves looking at the world through a different lens. We had a lot of questions. We still have a lot of questions. Music is our way of working through these challenges, and a way to share our experience and what we have learned thus far with others.

What do you all have planned for live shows in the coming months?

As of now, the only official show we will be playing in the next few months is a gig at Martyr’s on February 18, which we are very excited about! That being said, we have been in conversation with a number of great local bands so there is definitely some exciting stuff on the horizon. We are hyper focused on the release of the single "Glamour Child", but from there we hope to have a number of shows pop up in the Midwest region over the coming weeks.

Moonrise Nation has a had a longstanding relationship with Sofar Sounds - how are they helpful to you as performers?

Sofar reminds us of why we make music. Not only are the staff/volunteers amazing people and incredibly supportive, the listeners that are drawn to Sofar are the best type of fans to have. They really care about music!  By removing the buffer zone between musician and audience, Sofar invites us to explore, and be creative in our performance. We rearrange our music for these shows,  which allows us to connect with the material in new ways. We love our Sofar family oh so very much. :)

Do you work with a local producer or recording studio?

We recorded this album at Shirk Studios, a Chicago-based studio owned and operated by Steven Shirk. Steve is an amazing producer (and guy!)  and we feel very lucky to have crossed paths with him. He was a huge influence on this album, and we cannot thank him enough.