This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When it came time for Salt Lake-based singer-songwriter Evan Pack to select a name for a musical project he had been working on, he looked to the space between the innocence of childhood and embarking on the journey into adulthood. He imagined this moment in time to represent Indigo Plateau, a place in the Pokémon game where the final battle is around the corner.
"I chose that name at a period of time where I was getting ready to go to a new place and leave a lot of my childhood behind," Pack said in an interview with the Tribune. "It's meant as a feeling of childlike wonderment: when you see something for the first time or are leaving somewhere you have always been."
In the years since, Pack joined forces with Ian Francis (drums), Michael Paulsen (lead guitar) and Andris Escobar (bass), evolving Indigo Plateau into an electronic indie band that sits somewhere between post-rock and dreampop.
"I would like to think our music is pretty cinematic and lush. For us — and me in this case — I have always made music that I want to hear," he said of the songwriting process. "It's been really nice because since then, it's an occurring natural progression in getting creative input from other people. It's very true to what I wanted when I started writing music."
Indigo Plateau, which has been collaborating as a group project for nearly two years, celebrates its debut EP release, "The Heights," at Kilby Court on Wednesday. Pack said that for him, the songs on the six-track EP represent personal highs and lows he has experienced in the years since he began songwriting.
"It's almost like a mural or telling of the last two years of my life. The last two years have been difficult," he said. "Writing music — and lyrics especially — is the way I get it all out. I need to do it. It's very therapeutic for me."
He invites new listeners to go through "The Heights" a few times to discover the different production pieces the band put into each song. Ultimately, he hopes listeners will be able to make their own connection to the songs.
"There is a lot of intricate and textured background sound, and samples and noises, that make it sound very lush and organic, that I hope people pick up on," he said. "I just want [listeners] to have some form of emotional connection to it."
Indigo Plateau aims to create a rich sound that gives listeners an almost cinematic experience.
"Our music would serve very well in creating an atmosphere for someone else to tell their own story. It does a lot of work to create a mood and a feeling," Pack said. "I would love to see our music be used in film or a TV show. That would be my dream."
As Indigo Plateau looks to the future, Pack holds to the hope that one of the band's songs finds its way onto the soundtrack of a film production of some kind. In the meantime, the band looks to growing a fanbase in Utah.
"When we decided how we were going to record this, we wanted it to be something that we could share with as many people as possible," Pack said. "It's at the quality where I hope it would be considered by people as something good. I am really proud of it and I do want as many people as possible to listen to it because I feel like people would like it." —
P With Quiet Oaks and New Shack
When • Wednesday; doors at 7 p.m.
Where • Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $5; Ticketfly