Enumclaw Solidifies Status as Soon-To-Be Legends With Debut Album ‘Save the Baby’

Q&AMusic

Oct 14

☆ BY Makena Alquist ☆

“THE BEST BAND SINCE OASIS” — reads the slogan found in the bio of every social media page for Tacoma-based rock band Enumclaw, and with their debut album, Save the Baby, the band takes the next step toward turning this promise into a reality.

The alternative rock band exploded onto the Washington rock scene just over a year ago with a DIY demo EP that overflowed with their spin on the fuzzy guitars, droning bass, and raw vocals that define music from the area. With the new record, the band continues embracing this Washington sound while creating their own style.

“The new album is very different from the demo, but it’s still within what we do,” lead singer and songwriter Aramis Johnson explains. “It’s just a lot slicker production-wise.”

The band spent the year after the release of the demo channeling the excitement surrounding them into ideas for the upcoming record.

“We had so much momentum after we had finished the demo that it never stopped,” Johnson says, “and we all live relatively close, so we practiced a lot and things just came together really naturally and really fast.”

Enumclaw finally began recording the album late last year, further refining their sound with the help of producer Gabe Wax, in their hometown of Tacoma.

“We were supposed to record in LA but I got COVID so Gabe ended up coming up to Tacoma for a week,” Johnson explains. “And because he came to Tacoma, he got to meet all our friends, he met my mom… I feel like he got a really good grasp of us as people.”

This camaraderie shines through on the record in small moments, where band chatter opening or closing a song brings the listener into Enumclaw’s circle, perfecting that garage rock feeling of listening to your friends jamming in a basement. The band skillfully uses this both to bring the listener in, then to introduce them to a new softer side to the rock ensemble.

Influenced by Skullcrusher and Soccer Mommy, the band planned on experimenting with a new slower, acoustic sound on the record on the song “Somewhere.” However, Johnson explains that after four failed attempts to record the album’s closing song, “Apartment” as an all out rock number, the band decided to embrace their origins while introducing more of this new sound.

“We were starting to be like, ‘What are we going to do?’ and then Gabe kept asking me if we had any other versions of the song,” Johnson describes. “And I was like, ‘I have the demo, from the day I wrote the song.’ That's the acoustic version that ended up on the record.”

The band also explores heavier topics on Save the Baby than previous releases. Johnson’s lyrics on the record feature memories of a difficult home life growing up, the loss of his father, and instances of pure romantic heartbreak.

“My favorite thing about music is when it makes me feel seen,” Johnson says. “I just hope people have that experience with the songs on this record.”

While embracing this new sound, Save the Baby does not disappoint those who have followed Enumclaw since the demo release. Playing to their familiar strengths on the record with fuzzy, loud alternative rock songs such as “Jimmy Neutron” and “10th and J 2,” the album has plenty of room for both slow emotional expression and upbeat rock tracks.

As the band embarks on their second national tour this week, Johnson looks forward to finally playing the album in front of a live audience.

“I'm excited to be on tour with a record out, all the tours we've done before, we've just had the demo out,” he says. “And I just think we sound a lot better than we have on previous tours.”

As the band continues to grow, one thing is certain: there is no stopping Enumclaw. When asked if he thinks they are on the path to fulfill the band’s slogan, Johnson responded with just two words: “Yes, definitely.”

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We couldn’t be more stoked to have Suriel Hess as our new headliner for our upcoming LA show 🤩 🫶 Not gonna lie, us & Notorious Noise kinda went OFF with this line up & you’re not gonna wanna miss it - ticket link in bio 🎫