Photo courtesy of Emmanuel Rosario

Practice makes perfect, and New York-based trio Free Whenever is determined to prove it.

2024 is the year their self-titled debut album is set to drop, and so far the singles released in anticipation of the album have gained a natural traction they haven’t seen before.

“Sicily” began as an experimentation between Trevor LaVecchia and an acoustic guitar, leaning into more Mediterranean sounds that he ultimately brought to Neil Guleria. The first time they played it with Brendan Steuart, it took its final form.

“This is one of the first ones where it doesn’t feel as much as we’re pushing it into the world as much as people are really just gravitating to it and sharing it,” Guleria said.

“Precipice” is a similarly upbeat track that showcases the signature sound they spent so much time perfecting. They admit that the beginnings of the band was spent searching for their core, throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck. After stripping everything down for their last EP, The Movement, this time around they were ready for a different flavor.

“When Trevor and I started writing together, it was a lot of grueling moments and conversations where we had to try to decide what kind of music we wanted to be because we both have vast musical interests,” Guleria said. “We both can attack making music from different angles and different philosophies, and as time has gone on it feels like things become incredibly easy, incredibly fluid, to the point that even writing music today it’s just never been easier, honestly.”

While the process has gotten easier and they have a better understanding of who they are, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t working any less. Everything just seems to come more naturally these days, and with less resistance they have more room to be creative.

Free Whenever will be their most creative to date. It demonstrates the non-stop practicing and continuation of pulsating rhythms and emotive melodies.

“It really encapsulates everything we’ve done up until this point, everything we wanted to do and will continue to do,” LaVecchia said. “There’s a tendency in human nature to get too caught up in our thoughts and that’s where art dies.”

In addition to the self-titled release later this year, they have checked off another goal and ventured out past New York to play shows. They credit their support system for ensuring that they had a successful first run and brought their best performances to an entirely new audience.

A moment that stands out in this run of East Coast shows is the fans that traveled across state lines to see them. They have interacted with a few people who stumbled across their music on a streaming platform and decided to watch them perform.

"We’re pretty new to experiencing fans traveling farther than we’re traveling, so that was definitely a heartwarming moment,” Guleria said. “It made us feel like we’re doing the right thing.”

Another new opportunity was getting the chance to work with Immediate Family Records. After having many conversations about the needs of the band and where they see themselves going, it was serendipitous that they found a group of people who seemed to understand and value their mission of making and promoting good music.

“They really showed themselves to be true believers in this project,” Guleria said. “Just seeing the capabilities and the extra entrepreneurial spirit that they bring to the table really felt like a recipe for success.”

Practice makes perfect, and Free Whenever will continue to prove it.