TYCHO

Every album Tycho releases is like a musical passport for his fans.
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Tycho mastermind Scott Hansen's electronic soundscapes take listeners on a sonic journey of their own choosing, where the destination is unexpected and unfamiliar. His intoxicating songs conjure meditative images of waves crashing on secluded island beaches, warm summer breezes blowing over a field of blossoming flowers, a gentle rain nourishing an old growth forest filled with proud sequoias, or a leisurely boat ride with your best friends in a brand new city you’re all exploring for the very first time.

There is a lot of space to lose yourself within Tycho’s music. Hansen artfully crafts a dynamic musical atmosphere where thoughts and minds can drift along the ambient tides of his inventive rhythms and evocative melodies, helping you leave your worries behind as you float on the buoyant clouds of his reflective sonic daydreams. He’s able to coax a range of tender emotions and poignant memories with compositions that both soar and simmer, striking a creative balance between whimsical minimalism and a propulsive swirl of harmonics. If you give yourself up to their sensory charms, Tycho’s songs take you somewhere special.
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On 2019’s Weather, Tycho’s fifth studio album, Hansen reimagined the instrumental chillwave vibes featured on his early output by working with a vocalist for the first time. Hansen collaborated with Saint Sinner (real name Hannah Cottrell) on much of the record, with the singer featured on five of its eight tracks.

“When setting out to record Weather, I wanted to finally fulfill what had been a vision of mine since the beginning: to incorporate the most organic instrument of all, the human voice,” Hansen explains. “While developing the initial concepts, I met Hannah Cottrell, aka Saint Sinner, and the vocal component of the album immediately came into focus. Our initial sessions were incredibly productive and I strongly identified with the imagery in her lyrics. Her vision folded effortlessly into mine and her voice integrated seamlessly into the sonic landscape, opening new spaces for me as a songwriter and producer.”

Saint Sinner’s vocals and lyrical themes mesh perfectly with the pensive, searching quality of Tycho’s musical arrangements on Weather. The duo’s unexpected collaboration never sounds forced or out of step with the album’s musical direction, as the songs find the pair complimenting each other’s artistry and augmenting their respective creative ideas. The partnership allowed Hansen to use Saint Sinner’s lyrics to reinforce the sonic concepts he was exploring with Weather. Change will eventually arrive for us all if we are patient and receptive to the dawn of a new day, just like the grateful calm that settles in after a storm finally breaks and glorious clear skies appear after a long stretch of turmoil.

The album is also a bold exploration of the multiple sides of love, as Saint Sinner explains about one of the record’s standout tracks, “Pink & Blue.” “The lines, ‘Oh, pink and blue, you know I look good on you,’ originally stemmed from when I was romantically involved with a man and a woman simultaneously, for the first time in my life,” said Cottrell of the inspiration behind the song. “It was a defining moment for me. I went from being a young religious kid who thought she would marry a man to a young woman who realized her love for women. I now found myself, somewhere in the middle, leaning more closely to women. ‘Pink & Blue’ is a love song to no one, to everyone, and to myself. It’s a sweet reminder to all lovers to hold onto their love with open arms; to be fearless about any type of love and to be fearless about losing their love. Love is never lost.”

Tycho and Saint Sinner cover a range of emotions throughout Weather, with the astral sounds of the song’s musical movements serving to amplify the sincere feelings expressed by the vocals. But like the best of Tycho’s work, these tracks are only a loose roadmap of where your heart and your mind can possibly go within the music. Ultimately, it is up to the listener to decide where the songs will lead, and where you find yourself after silence settles in as the record stops spinning. Like Bob Dylan famously sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” And with Weather, Tycho captures the sounds of sonic breezes from all corners of the compass, inviting us to explore his boundless musical world with him once again.
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Bandbox is excited to offer Weather on deep blue vinyl! This exclusive pressing ships in late May and comes with a 16-page, full-color Tycho zine, featuring a track-by-track artist commentary of Weather, an interview with Tycho, rare photos and more. Also included: a limited edition 'Japan' print!
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