Photos courtesy of Tan Cologne
New Mexico duo, Tan Cologne, has crafted a breathtaking sonic journey with their latest album, ‘Unknown Beyond’ (Labrador Records). Recorded in the quiet solace of their home, the album is a deeply personal response to loss, transforming grief into an ethereal and mesmerizing landscape.
While their previous work was inspired by the physical terrain around them, with ‘Unknown Beyond’, Lauren Green and Marissa Macias delve deep into the more conceptual and intangible. The record is a beautiful exploration of memory, dreams, and the lingering light behind closed eyelids. It’s a hazy, reverb-drenched tapestry woven with guitars, gentle electronics, and hauntingly beautiful vocals.
Right from the opening track, “Cool Star,” you’re pulled into a hypnotic soundscape reminiscent of Mazzy Star crossed with Chris Isaak. Here, distant, jangling guitars and soft, cooed vocals create a languid, moonlit descent that feels both intimate and vast. The album’s hypnotic quality makes it easy to get lost in, with each repetitive rhythm and layer of sound pulling you in deeper. This immersive experience is so complete that the end of each track feels like a sudden, unwelcome awakening from a dream.
The album is peppered with vivid, unexpected moments. The instrumental “You Are The Dreamer” feels like a Lynchian waltz across a desolate landscape, while a psychedelic breakdown in “Infinity” sounds like a shaman achieving transcendence in the desert—a truly unforgettable image.
The album is brimming with rich textures. The subtle slide of fingers on guitar strings on “Spiral Path” becomes part of the rhythm, adding to the atmosphere like fleeting refreshment on a lonely desert highway. Tan Cologne has created an immersive, introspective record that slowly reveals itself with each listen. Their understated song craft draws you in, wrapping you in a fog of nostalgia and introspection. ‘Unknown Beyond’ is a profound, emotional experience that proves Tan Cologne is a band you don’t want to miss.
Special thanks to both Marissa and Lauren for the interview and gorgeous work.
James Broscheid: The press release states ‘Unknown Beyond’ will be “even less grounded than the psychedelic haze of their environmentally focused prior material, with the album’s thematic and musical direction maintaining a skyward glance.” Can you elaborate on what “less grounded” means for this album, both thematically and musically?
Tan Cologne: We think that means less situated on Earth and less derived from Earthen landscapes. Expanding into the vastness and beyond. We felt less tethered to in-place systems and open to messages and contact from invisible sources. It was the most unbalanced timeline in both of our lives, and the album was a process of seeking and reaching onward.
JB: Can you share a specific example of how one of these messages translated into a musical or lyrical idea on the album?
TC: There were 2 shooting stars that we witnessed during a pivotal moment of great transition and change in our life during the making of the album that profoundly impacted the writing process. We believe they were messages from the beyond, and loved ones communicating to us. We knew this to be direct communication and answers to ongoing questions of life.
JB: Are there any new instruments or production techniques you experimented with on Unknown Beyond to achieve this new sonic landscape?
TC: We wanted to incorporate drum beat sounds for some time, and had experimented in previous separate projects. This was our first time working with the analog drum machine in Tan Cologne. We also used fuzzy and static textures within our guitars and synth. There are some electronic sounds that weave in and out on one track that faintly mimic nature. That was different, as we usually would present field recordings. This album was much more fluid in writing and production. The process was a forward motion, except for the writing of “In Resin” which was the oldest track we then took a part and put back together. That song seems to have many possible versions.
JB: Could you discuss the collaborative process between the two of you in shaping these new thematic and musical directions for Tan Cologne?
TC: We get obsessed with a topic, and go through months and days talking or deconstructing the ideas and notions from the one topic. It tends to wind into other alternate considerations. So our first collaboration is our expanded dialogue. We then translate it musically by just playing guitar. It often changes form once we hear, review, and feel out the whole sound. The concept that’s different on this album is that we did not come up with concrete finalities and fixed definitions as an end all meaning.
JB: How did that more open-ended approach to meaning affected your personal connection to the music, now that it’s released?
TC: It feels more liberating. Like an overall expansion across time and genres and materials. We both feel even more so like we can do whatever we want.
JB: You mentioned describing your music as “a secret we’re sharing.” How do you reconcile that intimate, “secret” feeling with the increasingly public nature of touring globally and receiving widespread feedback? Does sharing it change the “secret” for you?
TC: We write and record in a very secluded way, and exiting this experience sometimes feels like “don’t look at us, we’re sensitive, are shells are thin.” However we are recording with the intention to share, so it’s energetically going to get out in the open air, and when it surfaces, we hear things that are both close and far. Sometimes we hear bits of our secret world reflected back to us. Broadening our horizons with touring has helped us to share the subliminal contexts that exist below the surface of our music.
JB: Considering how deeply personal and therapeutic ‘Unknown Beyond’ is, does sharing your latest record with the world feel different or more vulnerable than sharing your previous albums?
TC: Bizarrely no, because we put it out and we’re saying “we don’t know what it all means” somehow feels less intimidating, and like an interconnected mystery.
JB: You talked about stripping away some instrumentation and reintroducing elements like fuzz and tremolo. Were there any specific sounds or instruments you consciously decided not to include on this album, and if so, what was the reasoning behind those exclusions?
TC: We decided to focus on rough textures yet still holding space for soft edges. We did move away from lap steel (guitar) but still incorporated a small bit on “Spiral Path” to evoke a floating feeling. Our instrumentation choices were mostly intuitive, not needing to fit within one style or genre. We worked with what we had, and if we had a working violin we would have loved that. We did intentionally move away from hints of cosmic country. It just didn’t feel like a parallel at this time.
JB: You briefly touched on introducing more electronic elements and hints of synth and drum machines. Are there plans to further explore these electronic textures in future releases, or was it primarily an experimental addition for ‘Unknown Beyond’?
TC: Yes we will continue. We’ve always been drawn to merging both electronic and organic instrumentation. We have ideas for the next material, the next album, and we’re excited to begin it already.
JB: Marissa, I loved your comparison to recording in New Mexico with creating a “sculpture”, shaping as you go along. Can you describe a specific instance during the recording of ‘Unknown Beyond’ where the environment directly influenced an unexpected change or addition to a song?
Marissa Macias: There are several moments, but “Open to Communication” is a good example. The song was really revealed to us though listening to the radio cut in an out on a long drive broadcasting stories of miracles on Virgen de Guadalupe (Our Lady Of Guadalupe) day, seeing a mound on fire beside the car, all while recalling defunct satellite dishes from an old neighbors yard. Lauren and I spoke about the feeling and imagery for a day or so, and wrote a simple song about it all. We recorded the track the day we wrote it, and went with the initial form, and decided to have tremolo on the vocals. It all needed to be the shape and sound of the feeling becoming memory of that drive. Uncontrolled and a little miraculous. As a whole, we shape each track to its own form, and really consider the placement of where each one sits on the album.
JB: You mentioned feeling that your live shows are “topographic,” sonically taking people to landscapes. When you are performing, what aspects of the New Mexico landscape or the “cosmic” elements you discussed do you hope the audience experiences or visualizes?
TC: Mostly alien forms. Really, the journey of going out on a walk or slow cruise in New Mexico. The dynamics of a changing landscape. We see sound visually and compare it to the horizon line, the subterranean spaces, and the physical differences of the land. This is also the process of how we mix our albums. In performance, it’s the way we piece the set together, as a topographical survey.
JB: Given that your live performances are a “translation” and not an exact replica of the album, how do you decide which layers and elements from the highly layered studio recordings are most essential to convey the essence of a song in a live setting?
TC: First of all, we wish we each had 14 arms! A dream would be to include every bit of percussive element in a live setting. Overall, we still include as many layers as possible but might replace some synth sounds with guitar, etc. Even when we have a “full live band” with a drummer and bassist, both of us still create flutters here and there that are included on the recordings. Lately, we have been including field recordings we took in between each song performed live if we’re performing as a duo set.
JB: It’s fascinating that you often take audiences “off-guard” with your live sound. What kind of reactions or expressions have you observed from people who are new to your music during your live shows?
TC: The duo set is electronic, and so it’s a changed experience from the albums. Still dreamy, but with electronic rhythms versus live drums. So if people know our music it’s a different spacious interpretation. An audience who doesn’t know our sound and happens to see us often talk to us later of experiencing a meditation.
JB: It’s fascinating that your duo set, with its electronic rhythms, is experienced as a “meditation” by new listeners. What elements do you think contribute most to this meditative quality?
TC: Maybe the electronic rhythms provides a sort of body or heart pulse. We try to continuously play throughout the whole set as one thread. The experience can be more like a sound bath or wash. We like the term “sound portal”.
JB: The Trentemøller connection remains a delightful mystery. Have you, or has he, offered any further theories or insights into how he first discovered your music since your tour together?
TC: No, but we love it! He mentioned something about first hearing us on a playlist or blog (?) However, we still do not know.
JB: Beyond the incredible experience of touring with Trentemøller, have there been other unexpected collaborations, connections, or opportunities that have arisen directly from releasing ‘Unknown Beyond’?
TC: The album is still so new in the world. We are currently and mostly digesting the first interpretations. Very excited for what may come from this moment.
JB: You spoke about receiving moving messages from listeners worldwide. Is there a particular message or interpretation of your music that has resonated with you the most since the album’s release? Do you plan to tour the U.S. any time soon? Please let me know if there will be any shows in NM at the very least – would definitely make the drive to see you!
TC: We received messages from Brent Rademaker of Beachwood Sparks / Curation Records who told us that he thought it was a big leap forward, and possibly an AOTY (Album of the Year) contender. Somehow this made us both cry. As for US shows, we had a sweet album release show / music residency in Marfa, TX on the Solstice and have played a few shows in New Mexico so far.
JB: The message from Brent Rademaker clearly resonated deeply with you both. Besides validating your artistic direction, what other impact did that specific feedback have on you both?
TC: It was uplifting overall to hear from a well respected musician who has been around for decades that this album resonated so deeply and was a progressive push.
JB: Since you’ve played several shows in New Mexico, how does performing in your home state, where the landscape so deeply influences your music, feel different from touring elsewhere?
TC: It actually feels quite different and difficult at times! We think keeping our state to writing has been the most fluid and beautiful process for us. It’s interesting to pop up, but not frequently.
JB: You noted that ‘Unknown Beyond’ is your shortest album despite having more songs, attributing it to intuition and spontaneity. Do you envision maintaining this more concise, spontaneous approach for future recordings, or do you anticipate returning to longer song structures?
TC: We have no format to hold! Most likely a mixture of it all.
JB: Given the highly personal and therapeutic nature of ‘Unknown Beyond’, how do you envision approaching your next musical endeavor? Do you anticipate continuing to draw so directly from personal experiences, or will you shift focus again?
TC: We have a nice idea of what new instrumentation we would like to introduce for the next album and weirdly, the instruments themselves might help us to explore the next concept. Our personal losses were a part of this album, and our changes from them – it was a very “present” experience. Whatever comes next continues forward, but will be a part of the path together in our questioning of realms, reality and existence.
JB: Considering “In Resin” was an older track that was deconstructed and reassembled for this record, are there other older, unreleased tracks that you might revisit and transform for future projects?
TC: Possibly! Wildly, we just had dialogue on tour while in Europe with our label Labrador Records. Bengt (Rahm, label founder), asked this same question and at first we replied “No” but after some light digging through voice memo recordings on our phones at 1am in Caen, France, we discovered probably between 10-17 song starts and ideas. They could find their way into future songs or maybe it’s also a fun personal reference to revisit here and there.
JB: You’re incorporating field recordings between songs in your duo live set. What kind of field recordings are these, and how do you choose which ones to use to enhance the “topographical survey” experience for the audience?
TC: Mainly we use cicadas and crickets and night sounds. We have used waves from Baja before as well. Within the field recordings, we also layer over live ambient guitars which we imagine builds a landscape of volume, like peaks and caverns, alternating continuous depths.
JB: Given your excitement to begin the next album and your ideas for new instrumentation, can you give us a hint about what kind of new instruments you’re looking to introduce and how they might shape the “questioning of realms, reality and existence” that you mentioned?
TC: We’ll keep it as a surprise!
JB: I thought you would! Beyond the general anticipation for what may come from ‘Unknown Beyond’, are there any specific types of collaborations or opportunities you’re particularly hoping for in the near future?
TC: We’re interested in odd spaces and alternative environments to perform in and we hope those come along more. We hope to return to both Mexico and Europe.
For more information or to have a listen, check out Tan Cologne’s Bandcamp page and Instagram. Be sure to visit their label Labrador Records for other great releases.
