'Outside of Myself' - An Interview with Lexi Norton of Echos
Photo by Kamyar Abtin
As if its ethereal music wasn’t enough to set it apart, Echos’ birth is also an anomaly.
“[Tal and I] met online six years ago,” says vocalist Lexi Norton. “I lived in Oregon, and he lived in California.”
The distance didn’t stop creative sparks from immediately flying, though.
“I remember our first Skype meeting... we created a song together via email that very same night.”
It didn’t hurt that neither party were strangers to the music scene.
“We had both been in many bands before… Tal’s been playing in bands since he was a young one - he got into production early 2011 and was producing under a project called Clark Kent. [As for me,] I really have wanted to be a performer/artist for as long as I can remember. My mother always jokes I used to sing before I could talk,” Lexi says. “I remember being mesmerized with Avril Lavigne and The Spice Girls when I was about eight or so. That’s when I decided to start this little band with my neighbor, where we would write our own angsty songs about heartbreak together. Some of them were quite deep for my eight year old self. So maybe it’s been ingrained in my code to tell stories through my songs… Perhaps I have been planting that seed for a long time.”
Some of these early experiences were what helped to inspire aspects of Echo’s next album.
“I went back and found a lyric from when I was maybe twelve or so, that is now the title of our new album [Even Though You’re Gone].”
Along with her roots, Lexi values artistic ambiguity.
“We wanted to leave the album up for interpretation,” she admits. “I’ve talked a little about how this body of work was used as a way to heal from a very painful relationship, but I feel if I break the songs down anymore it will take away from that beautiful power a song has to shape-shift into your own life...I want you to be able to create your own image, your own meaning. If I went too much into detail I feel like I would be robbing you of that experience.”
And if she had to define their music: “emotionally heavy, electronic alternative act...but I’ve heard people describe it as all sorts of different things.”
Photo by Kamyar Abtin
Emotionally heavy hits the nail on the head. Echo’s synth-filled, otherworldly beats are simply the backdrop to raw lyrics that look and feel utterly confessional. And according to Lexi, that’s exactly what they are.
“All of our songs are typically written as diary. A lot of our music is about my struggle with anxiety and depression, and a bit of heartbreak.”
And often, these heartfelt lyrics serve a larger purpose than just being good material for songs. They help the listeners heal—and the writer herself.
“Writing about these feelings helps me make sense of them,” Lexi explains. “It helps me to view the feelings outside of myself, in a bit more logical sense. And from there, I am able to heal. Being told we create a space where others are able to heal from our music truly feels like an honor.”
Raw lyrics is part of what makes Echos, well, Echos. That’s why it makes complete sense that their new album cover is inspired by just that: words.
“We live in such a society that interacts online more than they interact in in person. People post things online all the time, its almost like a constant stream of consciousness - non stop. A lot of the time it's offhanded and completely detached, with not much thought put into it. Those things can really hurt someone… sometimes stick with them,” Lexi details.
“The album cover is sort of a ‘be careful what you say, or it can come right back at you’. A taste of the same medicine.”
As for when fans will get to interpret the metaphor-laden album cover themselves?
“December 7th, on all platforms, through our label Seeking Blue.”
409 Likes, 15 Comments - Echos (@echosofficial) on Instagram: "We released our debut album yesterday and our hearts are feeling very full - we also released the..."
You can listen to Echo’s latest album, “Even Though You’re Gone” on all major streaming platforms now.