In this biweekly column, RFT Music gets to know local creatives, musicians and their missions. Get a slice of the local scene, complete with a snippet of sound and info about upcoming releases and shows. Stick around to see what St. Louis artists have to say whenever they Fill in in the Blank.
On a weekday afternoon in south city, Langen Neubacher pauses during a phone interview with RFT Music to coo at her house pets. "Sorry, my cat's licking my dog's face," she says adoringly, with a laugh. While the tag "singer-songwriter" can induce imagery of puppies and kitties just like these, Neubacher's music hasn't always rooted itself in the world of warm fuzzies.
Early on in her musical career, she donned black lipstick and thick eyeliner while playing keyboards in a goth rock band called Dolores. That influence isn't exactly obvious in the music of her current band, the Defeated County, but the dark and mysterious undertones cut through occasionally on its debut EP, set for release this weekend at Off Broadway.
See also: - A Review of the Defeated County's New Self-Titled Album - Singer-Songwriter: Meet the 2012 RFT Music Award Nominees
The Defeated County plays what Neubacher refers to as "creepy indie pop played on country instruments." She pours a primarily pop foundation with her strummed guitar and breathy vocals, leaving plenty of room for mandolin, pedal steel, drums and electric guitars to build up her songs. With influences such as Radiohead, Josh Ritter and PJ Harvey as well as muses including Kurt Vonnegut and the French Existentialist, Neubacher sings about relationships -- love and life relationships as well as the connection between personal and political worlds.
The Defeated County raised $935 through Indiegogo to self-record and produce its EP, out on fledgling local label, Extension Chord Records. Hear a track from it below:
We invited Neubacher to fill in the blanks ahead of the Defeated County's EP release this weekend. See what she had to say on the next page!
