According to the popular ’90s science fiction series The X-Files, “the truth is out there.” The only stumbling block, as that show’s Special Agent Mulder might say, is an individual’s ability to believe. Fortunately for music fans in the Pioneer Valley, there is a band that is unafraid of believing.
Playing its first gig back in 2008, Holyoke group The True Believers resembles a collective of like-minded musicians more than it does an actual band. With a past roster featuring over 17 different people—many members of past Valley acts like The Smokey Wambas, The John Bobbit Experience, The Trials and Tribulations, and more—the current lineup of the group is a sextet that consists of Aaron Borucki (vocals, guitar), Mike Benoit (drums), Chris Vieu (guitar), Aaron Knapp (bass), Justin Broussard (guitar) and Mike Martin (vocals).
“Some have said we are a mixture of ’50s style radio pop, ’80s dance, and ’90s punk rock,” the band says. “Mix in some found sounds—wind chimes, music boxes, old glass objects—and some lo-fi string sounds, and you’ve pretty much got that True Believers flavor.”
With standout tracks like “Human Instinct,” “Hidden Underneath” and “Half Alive,” the group’s first album, Behold!, True Believers ably backs up such claims of musical diversity. Opening cut “He’s Seen It All Before” finds the band harmonizing like Seattle indie stars Death Cab For Cutie over soft acoustic finger-picking, while “Each Week” includes group-sung lyrics that meander about over a woozy, churning rhythm.
“The mission statement of our band The True Believers is not to impart any ideals on to the listener, but to invite everyone to recognize that, while we are all as different and unique like gently falling snow, we’re all also cut from the same mold,” the band says. “We humans all experience pain, pleasure, comfort, unrest, love, anger and excitement from music, and that’s the point. We’re only on this planet for a short amount of time, and sometimes at shows we encourage people to take a minute to consider that.”
The members of The True Believers would also like fans to note that the group is currently hard at work recording its second album, Colors, which will feature 10 new songs. And the band is also looking forward to playing more shows in Western Mass. whenever it’s not creating videos and artwork to accompany its new material.
Borucki says, “Some trends go in and out of style, but we’re hoping our music is honest enough to endure the test of time. As we grow older, we realize priorities change and shift, people move to and from this Valley, but some things never change—the love of good music and the desire to spend time having fun with friends.”•
For more information on The True Believers please visitfacebook.com/pages/The-True-Believers/211731185582727 and soundcloud.com/behold-true-believers.
