Chris Lotten
Nikki Drohomyreky, upper left: “This is the most meaningful work I’ve done.”
Nikki Drohomyreky and Jason Hartman have been the songwriting force behind Madison band Vanishing Kids for nearly two decades. Over the years, the group has experimented with styles ranging from indie-prog to doom metal to glammed-out psychedelic rock. The project has continued through several different lineups, plus a move to Portland and back.
These days, Drohomyreky and Hartman are settled in Fitchburg and raising a family. And for the first time, they’ve settled into a long-term band lineup, too, playing with the same people for the past five years. “That’s insane for us,” Drohomyreky says. “It’s been key to growing our style a little more.”
This feeling of finally being grounded has led to a sonic evolution that’s showcased beautifully on Heavy Dreamer, the band’s first full-length album since 2013. Written over a period of several years, the music is haunting, complex and deeply emotional. While still collaborative, most of the songs were written by Drohomyreky, who drew inspiration from the experience of becoming a parent.
“This is the hardest piece of music I’ve ever put out,” she says. “It’s the most meaningful work I’ve done.”
Drohomyreky’s rich-yet-ethereal vocals and expansive, extraterrestrial organ lines give a Beach House-meets-Black Sabbath character to the songs; Hartman’s virtuosic guitar work brings to mind 1970s psychedelia. Drummer Hart Allan Miller and bassist Jerry Sofran — a fixture of the Rockford music scene and a longtime hero of Hartman’s — build up massive low-end sound for a deliberate, gloriously gloom-soaked framework with surgical precision. In addition to the album, the band also created some truly beautiful music videos, including one featuring a soloist from the Milwaukee Ballet.
Vanishing Kids play their album release show Jan. 19 at Crystal Corner with Tubal Cain and Cave Curse. After that, the band plans to launch its first tour since 2009. Drohomyreky has been encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response to the album from music critics and fans. Keeping an artistic project going for nearly two decades isn’t easy, and there have been setbacks and obstacles along the way, Drohomyreky says.
“That’s kind of what Heavy Dreamer is about,” she says. “Do what you dream, and if you believe in it enough, it’s real. Everything else is bullshit.”
