Hanging On vs. Letting Go: An Interview with TREASVRE

by - February 23, 2021

Photo courtesy of Jeff Straw
Long before these five Bay Area natives blended elements of post rock and shoegaze with heavy guitar riffs, rich synth textures and electronic rhythms, the members of TREASVRE had a longtime love for music.

Bassist/vocalist Sam Peña first learned guitar and began experimenting with songwriting as a teenager. She spent her high school and college years playing in bands before putting more focus on using her songwriting to serve as an outlet for personal confessions.

Synths/vocalist Sabrina Simonton played piano, alto saxophone and guitar as a child before receiving a synthesizer as a 16th birthday gift. From that gift, she found a love for synth pop, new wave, dark wave, a few other waves and any kind of music she can dance to.

Guitarist Julian Balestrieri grew up playing flute and piano, but after being introduced to bands such as Metallica and Iron Maiden, quickly realized he needed to learn guitar if he wanted to create the same sounds as his new-found heroes.

Guitarist Jason Zaru showed an interest in music at a young age, and was taking drums lessons at just 10 years old. His love for the guitar hit in his early teenage years, and he quickly redirected his attention to learning to play and write songs.

Drummer Evan Dulaney inherited an old drum set from his grandparents and religiously attended workshops while playing in a smattering of bands. He eventually started experimenting with guitar and synthesizers, and learning about recording and production techniques.

The concept of TREASVRE began with Balestrieri and Zaru, who were playing together in a different band at the time. They brought in Dulaney to play drums, and the three of them began fleshing out song ideas together. They felt the music needed more texture, and reached out to Simonton to join on synths and vocals. They existed as a four-piece and experimented with their sound before convincing Peña to play bass.

Their latest release, “Heavy Arms/Secrets”, is the end of a four-part release series that began right before the pandemic hit. While it derailed any touring and promotion plans, it gave them the opportunity to look at it from a different perspective.

“As we listened back to the recordings, we reflected on the theme and vibe of each song and found that they seemed to go together in pairs,” they said. “Looking forward into a lengthening shutdown situation, we thought it might be a good approach to release these pairs of songs over the course of the rest of the year. We thought it would be a good way to connect with listeners continuously throughout the pandemic, and keep us busy as a band as we pivoted to building our internet presence.”

In addition to building their internet presence, they are also focusing on experimenting with their songwriting process. All of their releases to date have been created with everyone in the room and at dedicated times, but they want to change their approach with their next project.

“The goal is to be more intentional with our music,” they said. “What emotions do we want listeners to feel? What’s the story we’re telling? And how do we best mold our sound to convey that message? To hone in on the answers to those questions, we’re now fleshing out ideas in smaller groups, and not limiting songwriting to times when all five of us are present.”

For TREASVRE, the dedication to their craft is just one of the many reasons why their music is so captivating. As they continue to explore their creation process, they prove that their love for music is only growing stronger.

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