It shouldn’t come as a surprise if something about Pillar Point’s nine-song self-titled album sounds familiar. Despite being the band’s debut, the moody, melancholy electronica is the work of Scott Reitherman, who until now has been primarily known for his involvement with indie-pop outfit Throw Me the Statue. And while Reitherman’s new project shows off a never-before-seen gloom, his knack for writing tracks that crystalize emotion and work their way into a listener’s guts isn’t at all obscured.

The album, produced by Reitherman’s longtime collaborator Charlie Smith, is a musical departure for the Bay Area native. As Reitherman explains, “Part of what steered me toward the textures and beats of dance music was the feeling of catharsis you can experience through dance.” It’s a noble idea, considering the themes Reitherman’s songs are dealing with: heartbreak, loneliness, aging and isolation in an increasingly connected world.

Tracks like “Eyeballs,” a haunting, powerful ode to the solitude brought about by social networks, offer a sleek take on anguish that wouldn’t be out of place alongside early Depeche Mode; “Echoes” and “Cherry” are ethereal, evocative explorations of what Reitherman calls “that apathetic, shell-shocked feeling young people have when they’re trying to figure out what to do with their lives.” Considering the beats Reitherman has created, those young people might plan to spend the rest of their lives furiously dancing.

As the lyrical content reveals, Pillar Point is also a far more intimate project than anything Reitherman has ever embarked on. It’s no coincidence that his own heartbreaks led to the songs that make up Pillar Point. They’re bleaker than his previous work and exhibit a growth in both songwriting and orchestration.

“Writing darker songs with dance elements helped me to process the confusion and change I was experiencing in my own life because within the confines of a pop song I could control little moments of clarity and redemption,” he says. “And for the listener it adds depth to what might otherwise be just dance music.”

Born out of a two year recording process between Reitherman and Smith that stretched from Los Angeles to the Bay Area and ultimately Seattle, where Reitherman has once again settled, Pillar Point marks not only a fresh musical approach, but also a new mindset for writing songs. “One of the things I wanted to do differently,” he says, “is to lay it all out on table this time, to make my songs more bare and personal.”

‘Pillar Point’ LP Tracklisting

01. Diamond Mine
02. Eyeballs
03. Cherry
04. Black Hole
05. Strangers In Paradise
06. Dreamin’
07. Touch
08. Curious Of You
09. Echoes

Tour Dates

06/07 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
06/08 – Billings, MT @ The Railyard
06/09 – Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
06/10 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
06/11 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
06/12 – Champaign, IL @ Mike ’n Molly’s
06/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks
06/15 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
06/17 – Washington, DC @ IOTA
06/18 – Durham, NC @ Pinhook
06/21 – Miami, FL @ Gramps Bar
06/23 – New Orleans, LA @ The Beatnik
06/24 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Inside)
06/25 – Ft Worth, TX @ The Grotto
06/29 – Denver, CO @ Forest Room 5
06/30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

with of Montreal: 

10/01 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
10/02 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson
10/03 – Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s
10/04 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
10/05 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
10/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar Cultural Center
10/07 – Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s
10/08 – Denver, CO @ The Bluebird
10/09 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/10 – Garden City, ID @ Visual Arts Collective
10/11 – Spokane, WA @ The Knitting Factory
10/12 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune
10/13 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
10/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
10/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Mayan
10/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
10/18 – Las Vegas, NV @ Fremont Country Club
10/19 – Santa Fe, NM @ Skylight
10/21 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
10/22 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/23 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10/24 – New Orleans, LA @ Howlin Wolf
10/25 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West