“They try to shame us out of loving darling,” begins the song “Figure 8” by local Portland band Lovers. The band, self-described as “loud and proud” blends together female harmonies with friendly electro pop.
Composed of singer-songwriter Carolyn Berk, synthesizer and programmer Kerby Ferris and percussion player Emily Kingan, Lovers mesh together well on 2010’s Dark Light, their first studio release as a group. The album was recorded locally at the Type Foundry studio with the help of owner Dylan Magierek, who has also recorded local act Starfucker.
Lovers’ sounds are spacey and mystical with just the right amount of guitar and drums to bring their songs back to earth. Berk’s voice is a haunting, heartbroken croon that blends seamlessly in three-part harmony with the voices of Kingan and Ferris.
“Carolyn generally comes to the band with song ideas, in various stages of completion,” Kingan wrote in an email. “The three of us together will work on the instrumentation and arrangement. Carolyn is primarily responsible for the lyrics.”
Mostly lyrically driven, Lovers’ songs explore themes of female love, sexuality and friendship. “We are like sisters. We are sisters,” Berk said.
While the band’s music may be soft and melodic, their beginning was anything but quiet. The three met after a dangerous and nearly deadly bus crash involving Berk and former members of the band. After the incident, Berk joined Kingan and Ferris while they were on tour with local act The Haggard. Kingan was a member of the group The Haggard and Ferris was working as a roadie for the band. Later, the women reunited across the world in South America.
Lovers has grown as a band both musically and lyrically since their first incarnation. While Berk’s first works still carry the same lovesick lyrical depth, the band has moved toward a more electronically influenced sound.
“Being an ‘adult’ artist is challenging, interesting and exciting,” Kingan said, when asked to consider the experience about musicianship right now. “As you get older you become more confident with your choices, the stakes are higher, and you are more intentional about how you affect the listener,” she said.
The band has been touring consistently since the release of Dark Light, finishing up a leg of their North American tour this year. Now, the group has gone international for a stint in Europe. The band says they are glad to be back in Europe for the tour, having last seen the shores in December 2010. They are set to perform in Germany, France and Spain before they return stateside later this month.