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But their debut couldn\u2019t have been more cobbled together: \u201cRookie\u201d is ultimately the result of an unconventional writing\/recording process between Rodriguez and Stier \u2014 who, when not working with Cults, spends his time as the talent buyer for Soda Bar, co-owner of Thrill Me Records (along with Rodriguez, and Angie Ollman), and drummer in beloved San Diego surf rock band Mrs. Magician. Over the course of several years, the two worked together in their spare time \u2014 albeit, on opposite sides of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll lay down a rough demo and then send it over to Cory,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cThen we’ll talk about rhythms and the foundation or meaning \u2014 either lyrically or musically. After that, it becomes a matter of when we can meet and actually play together. Because I’m in New York and he’s in San Diego, there’s usually a lot of phone conversations, home recording, and emailing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A true 21st century partnership, the two put the musical magic from that long-distance friendship to use with an album that revels perplexingly in cohesiveness. Somehow, a project that spanned at least three years birthed a record that sounds convincingly complete. The duo saunter from art rock, with \u201cPet Sounds\u201d-esque intricacy and shades of psych folk, to a more subdued version of glam rock (think Bowie\u2019s \u201cThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars\u201d) over the course of 38 minutes. Surely, there\u2019s some kind of dark sorcery at play here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll have to hand it to Gabe,\u201d Stier explained. \u201cHis writing style is very cohesive naturally \u2014 unlike a lot of songwriters I know, some of whom I’ve worked with. He’s good at blocking out the noise of everyday life and staying true to himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
That \u201cRookie\u201d has the expansive feel of a band holed up in a recording studio makes it all the more intriguing since, according to Rodriguez, \u201cOne of the difficulties of recording was making it sound like Cory and I were in the same room. In actuality, drums alone were recorded in three different locations.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Regardless of the reality of what actually transpired, when listening to the record, it\u2019s hard not to imagine Rodriguez and Stier as time-travelers camped out in Abbey Road Studios circa 1967, spending unending time behind ancient recording consoles, experimenting with whatever instruments happen to be laying around, and demanding horn-rimmed bespectacled sound engineers push big volume knobs into the red against their will. McCartney would casually drop in \u2014 they\u2019d tell him to take a hike. In reality, of course, all that couldn\u2019t have been further from what went down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the record progressed, I was traveling all over and I’m sure that contributed to the sound,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cWalking around early in the morning in Roanne, searching for coffee and then going back and recording in a hotel room will definitely put me in a different headspace than I would be in a controlled studio setting. It wasn’t my intention to have the environment affect the sound but due to circumstance, it was unavoidable and I’m happy with the result.<\/p>\n
I think [that process] was, and is, very appealing,\u201d he continued. \u201cI would write when inspired, not out of obligation. I didn’t confine myself to one concept or process \u2014 it was kind of however I could get the idea down the fastest. The equipment itself also ranged a lot depending on what I could get my hands on at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, the instrumentation varies from track to track \u2014 tambourines and acoustic guitars jangle about, organs wrestle with fuzzed-out electric guitar solo wrangling, and pianos hammer away dissonantly all while Rodriguez alternately serenades and achingly wails under a blanket of thick slapback echo. It\u2019s a huge, hazy mix of exquisite harmonies, head-nodding rhythms and truly infectious melodicism.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>If the duo is nervous about pulling \u201cRookie\u201d off in a live setting for their first-ever show at Soda Bar on Dec. 27, they\u2019re not letting on. It also doesn\u2019t hurt that they\u2019ll have some help in the form of Mrs. Magician guitarist Tommy Garcia on bass, and Conor Meads (who previously played with Stier in Pistolita) on guitar\/keys to fill out the group\u2019s sound. Even so, Rodriguez didn\u2019t seem too concerned about recreating the album note for note.<\/p>\n