BIO
A beautifully strange indie-pop duo known for their blend of psych, dream pop, and electronic influences, the impliers emerged onto the scene in 2022, establishing themselves with thoughtfully layered music, rich vocal harmonies, and memorably vulnerable lyrics. The Denver-based duo stands out amongst the pack with their award-winning, wholly self-produced multimedia artistic explosion, which spans far beyond music, fusing psychedelic music videos, surreal short films, and sketch comedy together to create a uniquely brilliant experience.
Members Dan and Charles met at 15 and immediately discovered they had an intuitive artistic connection and soon began writing songs together using strangely tuned guitars in a sweltering North Carolina storage shed. The duo made a name for themselves as "The Phantom Zell" in the NC scene among earlier versions of now-iconic bands Future Islands, Valiant Thorr, and Municipal Waste. By age 17, Dan and Charles' songs were earning placements on compilations alongside diversely popular acts such as Of Montreal, Fugazi, and Jawbreaker. The duo soon traveled their own reclusive, individual artistic paths in solo music and video production, amassing hundreds of songs and videos, yet never sharing the final products publicly. During this time, each member refined their unique, complementary skill sets. Charles honed his dark, ethereal, ambient, and raw instrumental elements, paired with puzzling lyrics, while Dan arrived at his wide, polyphonic, layered vocals carrying perceptive lyrics over dense, colorful, and polished musical arrangements.
The two stayed connected into adulthood, primarily focused on video and sketch comedy, ultimately deciding to bring their primary passion for music back into the center stage, culminating in the impliers. Their 2022 debut full-length album, "Cocoon," garnered rave reviews while highlighting essential topics ranging from mental illness and relationships to mortality over the sounds of lush indie guitar rock, ethereal electro-pop, piano balladry, and dark wave. Aaron Willschick of v13 states, "For a debut album, Cocoon is completely fearless, going places where many acts would not for a first go-around."
Notably, The Impliers' videos and celebrated social presence have received much praise, recently earning a Silver Telly Award in 2023 in the Social Video category alongside brands such as Netflix, HBO, and PBS for their promotional music infomercial for their debut album ‘Cocoon’.
With growing traction worldwide and across social media, the band is now gearing up for the release of their next full-length album, "The Magic - Pt. 1," the first in a two-part album series that explores romantic love. Their new album shifts gears both musically and conceptually, as demonstrated in the stripped-down, upbeat, danceable pop sound on their lead single, "Love at First Sight." While their debut album drew comparisons to artists across generations such as Tame Impala, Men I Trust, and Depeche Mode, some material on their latest release can be compared to a collaboration between Prince and Trent Reznor.
"Our entire creative library is one connected narrative. The vibe of the music mirrors the feelings. So, in a song dealing with having an anxiety attack or dealing with mortality, the song will sound different than a song about falling in love," says Dan. "To be clear, this isn't a puppy love album. We're covering the whole spectrum pretty deeply, and songs like 'Love At First Sight' cover an important experience in that spectrum, grand clichés and all. But in the grand scheme, we're trying to talk about some of the things that people experience but don't usually admit or say out loud."
"While the sound on this song might be a big change for listeners who have only heard 'Cocoon,' it's not a huge departure for us," says Charles. "The music we have produced over the years spans almost every genre. For those that just want more 'Cocoon,' you'll probably be really into what's coming down the road. These next two albums don't really take the easy path forward from a content perspective."