Heavy-dimensioned and melancholy as midnight, LIP’s music weaves through an intense affair of confession booth candor and Radiohead-esque tempo. Their sound is like looking inward through a foggy-paned window and wrestling with yourself as you come unglued. Distinctly rehearsed and constructed, each song takes you through cosmic introspection and reminds you of what it feels like to get lost in someone else.
Formed in 2014 by Austin, Texas natives, Coleman Meola (drums) and Connor Tester (bass), the band molded a backdrop of pensively polished rhythm. By late 2015, Philly-bred Jerome Vivino came into the picture as the lead guitarist to shred gauzy electric waves, thus solidifying the kindred three’s feverish pursuit of rock. The band knew they had a chemistry packed with potential, so they recruited Nashville-born singer-songwriter Luke Bellet (vocals/keys/guitars) to bring shape-shifting lyrics and a voice to their sound. With the combined experience of these four musicians, LIP stays authentically rooted in the genre’s traditions while bending their musical Moirai with experimental arrangements.