The members of indie-pop band The Electric Primadonnas are set to release their new album "Summertime" tonight in a release show at The Conservatory. The 12 tracks are self-described as "more psychedelic and experimental" than previous work, so OKS had a conversation with guitarist/vocalist Chris Anderson about their and everyone's changing sounds.  

OKS: You've said that this album is different in sound than your last. How so?

Chris Anderson: We have two new members. We have a new bassist, and a keyboardist doing pianos, organs and synthesizers. Pili (the keyboardist) is a girl, and she sings harmony. It's a lot different in that sense. We also recorded reel-to-reel on an 8-track, and that produced a lot warmer sound.

OKS: What were you guys listening to when you wrote the new album, and how did that influence the new sound? Or did it just come up naturally?

CA: We listen to a lot of different stuff as a band. We'll put on an LP and listen to it, then go jam. But when we sit down to write a song, it always comes out completely different. We listened to The Flaming Lips' "Dark Side of the Moon" album, and then what we wrote sounded completely different than that.

I've been listening to Circulatory System. They put out an album called "Signal Morning" about a year ago, and that's really inspired me to write songs. It's really experimental, though. We don't have enough members to pull off anything that sounds like it at all.

OKS: With your sound changing, what bands do you feel like changed their sound for better or for worse in the middle of their career?

CA: I'm really attracted to bands that evolve throughout their career. I can't stand when (a band) wants to repeat themselves over and over. Some bands are known for doing this album or this collection of songs, and they're known for that.

The Beatles evolved into something better. That's something I aspire to. I don't want to do it too much, though. Not like Ween does, where you can't even listen to an album all the way through without saying, "What am I listening to?" They'd be an example of how not to do it.

It seems like a lot of good bands in the '60s hit the '70s and started doing style over substance. Like The Who. They did a lot of good things in the early '70s, but they got stuck in that mind-set of trying to chase the stadium rock dream, and there's only so much you can do with that. And The Rolling Stones, too.

The Electric Primadonnas play The Conservatory tonight, supported by Depth and Current.

+stephen