As any modern miracle story starts, the pandemic had hit and a project was birthed in a Richmond apartment. Bassist and vocalist Harrison was held up crafting something he did not yet know, False Nectar.
As the world turned, and the songs became tangible, he reached out to a drummer he had shared a number of previous bills with, his friend Julain. The demos were sent and all Julain could say was “holy shit! It was everything I loved… Those voice memos served as the canvas for all our early songs.”
The songs were built on midi synths and vocals and a whole deck of vocal harmonies. A natural spot on guitar was filled by Ten Pound Snail’s own Kayla, the sibling of Harrison. On the bass was Patrick, who had been a part of a number of Orbital Music jams in the deco corner of a paint warehouse.
To help the translation of demo to band, Harrison added his bass, and soon Patrick had upped his string count to a bass 6. “We sort of realized between low bass, bass 6, and the guitar stuff I like to do, it forms a pretty smooth spectrum of octave and range that didn’t step on each other” Kayla explains with a wistful look between her band members.
Within a few months the band had their name on a bill and it was time to make their debut.
This first bill is one of the wildest first shows I have ever heard of.
A friend was fighting the good fight in their Starbucks union and a benefit was set at Hardywood, “then my friend had the crazy idea to DM Bernie Sanders about it.” Before they knew it the show was upgraded and the band was set to debut at The National.
“We got the schedule and we were supposed to be playing directly after Bernie. Bernie was opening for us!” Due to a slight delay the band performed directly before the Vermont senator to a packed National crowd.
“This band has been the story of having extremely good luck” Julien jokes. It is hard to match up to a packed National show but the band piled on a series of bills with heavy hitter headliners that delivered a swath of sold out shows.
Another piece of luck was catching the line of Colin Earner, who had recently directed local singer Wes Parker’s music video. The band and the crew got along swimmingly and the genius was cemented by the filming of the video in the “satanic basement” of Julien’s apartment (which you can see here). “We are continually surprised and grateful by each of these experiences” Harrison says with a genuine smile to end a monologue on the band’s gratitude towards their video director.
Through more dedicated time in the practice space the band found themselves with an album. “It was another case of really good luck finding the perfect studio, Go West, with Mitch who is one of the best producers in the city” Julien explains.
They planned their recording sessions but before the dates even arrived the 4 had a slew of fresh songs that had not even seen the light of day. “I think those newer songs ended up being the standouts in my opinion” chimes in Patrick, a sentiment I quite agree with.
That feeling of “moving on to the next thing and the next thing” spurned the group like heels in a horse’s ribs.
The whole group safely cements producer Mitch’s role in the album, with glowing admiration and “quiet patience” that helped draw out “all the weird parts.” While the band hammered out songs in the studio, a lot of the subtle additions came from late nights in the practice space—one of which was particularly memorable.
One evening, with candles burning low, Harrison and Kayla were recording overdubs and harmonies for “Heart of Mud.” Kayla left around midnight, while Harrison pressed on past the twelve-hour mark. He was prepping for a cross-country trip the next day—but what could a few more hours hurt? He got home around 5 a.m. feeling a little off. Little did he know, he had recorded those vocal harmonies on little to no sleep… and with COVID.
At this point in the story, I want you to go listen to that song—with that insane context—and then listen to it again.
Late nights and early mornings were a theme with this album. As Harrison puts it, it was all about “the 2 a.m. haze, when it’s time to get creative.” He explains his abstract approach to lyric writing, which often starts as onomatopoeia. His sibling adds: “I think it can be a writing device to chew on a melody… draw spider webs through different parts and see what comes out.”
This album is like a sonic Dubliners—each song exploring different characters, reactions, and perspectives. It’s a step removed from Harrison himself: personal feelings like anxiety get recast into new, fictional situations. That distance helps illuminate things otherwise hidden in one’s own blind spots.
On a sonic level, the band works like a canvas where four artists smear distinct, inspired brush strokes—each adding to a blended whole. Every member comes from a wildly different place: Patrick cites Peter Hook, outlaw country, and skateboarding; Julien brings the jazz he was raised on and the grief of losing his mother; Kayla leans toward the ambient and vague, inspired by birds seen on daily walks; and Harrison swears by Modest Mouse, Queens of the Stone Age, and lately, South American music.
What they all agree on is the shared influence of Deerhunter and Radiohead. But more than influences, what really binds them is a visible sense of love, respect, and trust for each other as players.
The band is already churning out a half-set of new tunes—songs we can expect on the next album. False Nectar should be proud of what they’ve built. And we should all be paying attention to what comes next.
Main photo of False Nectar by Briscoe
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