You may be shocked to hear that in the scenic, mountain town of Jackson, Wyoming, the depth of the music landscape is multilayered.  Having said this, it’s no surprise to no one that the members of Inland Isle were destined to find each other.  Set for release tomorrow, Inland Isle’s debut album Time Has Changed Us centers the source material on the aftermath of upheaval in America and its effects on relationships, community and livelihoods. Set in dramatic, dirty rock landscapes tinged with psychedelia, the songs are anchored by accessible hooks and introspective lyrics crooned by songwriter-guitarist Pat Chadwick atop lush vocal harmonies.  However, the band is allowing listeners to get an early chance to hear the album here today.

Here’s Chadwick on the album: “We wrote these songs before the pandemic, but the whole process of making the record has been strangely fitting for these times. We recorded the album quarantined in a cabin before that was a thing, and the themes about the fragility of our relationships and lives  — and the uncertainty around how we should be spending our time — have taken on more meaning. It’s a relief to put the record out when things finally seem to be looking up.” 

Frequently confused as brothers at shows, Chadwick and lead guitarist Dusty Nichols both grew up in Massachusetts – and even lived in the same Boston-area neighborhood in their 20s – but never met until moving 2,300 miles away to secluded Jackson Hole. The had individually earned nods for their songwriting in prior bands. After those projects became dormant, this collaboration became a natural fit in the spring of 2019.

The Inland Isle lineup is rounded out by frequent collaborator and prolific musician Leif Routman as bassist, and Shawn Fleming, an intuitive drummer with industry engineering experience in LA and Portland, OR. With members now spending time in Portland and Boise, ID, Inland Isle is already building a fanbase across the Pacific Northwest. 

The newly formed band quickly built its rapport by working out four-part harmonies at weekly vocal-only gatherings; trading out their instruments for copious amounts of wine. Those harmonies quickly became an indispensable part of their sound. Recorded in a Montana cabin, Time Has Changed Us was engineered and produced by Fleming and mastered by Brian Lucey (The Black Keys, The Shins).