LINE (EP release), Gentle Brontosaurus

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Mason Georgeson

The five members of LINE sitting on a couch.

LINE

media release: LINE, an indie pop band fronted by songwriter Maddie Batzli, is thrilled to announce the release of their sophomore EP, The Making Room. LINE will play a release show at the Harmony Bar & Grill in Madison on Saturday, November 16 at 9 p.m. They’ll be joined by Gentle Brontosaurus, another fantastic Madison-based alternative pop group. Tickets are available in advance on the Harmony’s website or at the door.

The Making Room EP comes out on all streaming services and Bandcamp on December 5, preceded by two singles from the EP, “Nowhere” and “The In Between.” “Nowhere” drops on November 1. Release show attendees will have an opportunity to hear the EP before it comes out online: The Making Room CDs will also be available for purchase exclusively at the 11/16 release show before they become available on Bandcamp on 12/5.

An indie pop band unafraid to defy and explore labels, LINE weaves singer-songwriter sensibilities with multigenre arrangements, including three-part harmonies, intricate slap basslines, folk instrumentation, and electronic synth tracks. LINE’s songs seek to span a wide range of emotion, often even within a single verse. As a queer band, LINE’s explorations of duality and willingness to hold paradoxes often extends to playful stage aesthetics and lyrics centering philosophical questions, at once campy and achingly sincere. By modeling the vulnerability of holding multiple—sometimes conflicting—truths at once, LINE aims to invite listeners to live more deeply into their own experiences.

Building upon the moody, live band appeal of LINE’s first EP Choosing Sides, The Making Room spans several genres with the addition of new synth sounds, banjo, multilayered vocals, found sounds, and intricate pop production. Gathering meanings since the band began the project in 2022, this release “makes room” for a new sound, new band members, and new skillsets: bassist Austin Lynch and lead vocalist/songwriter Maddie Batzli moved into co-producer roles, Lynch became a mixing engineer to complete the songs, and guitarist Charlie Koz mastered the project. Vocalist Esther Chun reinvisioned harmony tracks in collaboration with Lynch and contributed poster and merch designs. The band’s former drummer Will Ault played on the new EP’s tracks before moving out of Madison, and new drummer Emily Mills (of Damsel Trash and Little Red Wolf) has made the songs their own, bringing the tracks new energy in live settings. The Making Room carries the depth of evolving creative partnerships and the echoes of the spaces that have nurtured them.

Shifts in sound and creative partnership are nothing new to LINE, and in fact are inherent to the project, which began for Batzli as a solo bedroom-pop act and quickly morphed into an indie folk duo (then trio) before becoming the present day indie pop band. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the bandmates were isolated from each other, leading Batzli to retreat into “bedroom-pop mode” and release two solo tracks during the band’s hibernation. These tracks veered outside of the band’s usual lane, with “Doves on the Wing” featuring a simple, meditative guitar riff and lush backing vocals, and “No Burden” showcasing brassy synths and electronic pop beats–Batzli’s first self-produced, self-programmed release

When the band laid down the initial tracks of The Making Room in the studio in 2022, the time and space that led to “No Burden” and “Doves” influenced the direction that Batzli and Lynch envisioned while co-producing the new EP songs over the two years that followed. On EP tracks “No Clarity” and “Nowhere,” LINE expands upon their acoustic, live band roots, elevating shimmering banjo, guitar, bass, trumpet, and piano riffs, and elaborate vocal harmonies reminiscent of past release “Expectations.” These two tracks will land well with lovers of Lizzie McAlpine, Adrianne Lenker, and early Bon Iver records.

The EP’s “B Side,” takes a dramatic turn, boasting innovative alt-pop production courtesy of Lynch and Batzli’s meticulous arrangement decisions and the time Lynch spent learning how to alter sounds and gaining the necessary skills to mix the EP. “The In Between” and “Show Me the Way” draw inspiration from MUNA, Japanese Breakfast, and Marika Hackman.

Sure to be a fantastic sonic ride, the 11/16 show and 12/5 EP release will be dates to watch. Combining LINE’s eclectic range of genres into an integrated blend, The Making Room will have listeners reflecting, dancing, and singing along.

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