Ambient dream-pop act Easter Island performs live in Japan

Formed in Athens, GA, Easter Island is an ambient dream-pop act fronted by brothers Ethan and Asher Payne (guitar and keys) and Ryan Monahan (guitar). Their sound has been likened to Explosions in The Sky, My Bloody Valentine, DIIV, Pedro the Lion, and more. The band’s falsetto vocals and panoramic guitars are countered by its powerful rhythm section – John Swint (drums), and Justin Ellis (bass) add gravity to an otherwise weightless sound.

Throughout Easter Island’s career the band has had the opportunity to share the stage with David Bazan, Cindy Wilson (of The B52s), The Low Anthem, Bully, Wild Nothing, White Rabbits, Valley Maker, and more. The band’s debut record Frightened (2012), led to a number of television syncs, including ABC’s “Off The Map”, MTV’s “Awkward”, and a recent live appearance on CW’s Dynasty which aired in 2019.

The past six years have seen the band working in various studios all over the country on their new record while touring the US at large, including appearances at SXSW, CMJ, Treefort, Underground Music Showcase, Secret Stages, and Athfest in their hometown of Athens. They traveled as far as Japan to work on new material and to film the music video for the single, “Island Nation”, which was premiered by Paste Magazine. The band’s follow-up single, “Always Room For Another”, premiered on Billboard in fall 2018. In 2020 the band found itself spread out among five different cities and so they leaned into the separation and produced five music videos – featuring each member in their respective city.

Produced and engineered by Ryan Monahan, the songs received additional engineering from Mike Albanese at Espresso Machine Recording and mastering from Joel Hatstat at High Jump Media in Athens, GA. The new record draws on influences ranging from Sufjan Stevens and Max Richter, to The Never Ending Story. The band completed a successful Kickstarter campaign in early 2020 and will release their sophomore LP, Take All The Time You Think You Need, in December, 2020.