Recommended tracks: “Some Nights,” “Steps Taken,” “Early August Rain”
Similar artists: Carriers, Eric Gabriel
Brock Geiger, a Canadian alt pop and indie rock musician, steps into his own artistic direction with the release of his debut album, Some Nights, available starting today, Mar. 18.
Throughout Geiger’s career, collaboration has been at the core of his work. As a member of the band RALEIGH and a producer on nearly 50 records, he’s only ever known democratic decision-making, and co-writing both instrumentally and lyrically. However, this album allowed him to take the reins, making decisions on his own and freely creating music that spoke to him personally — immersing himself in the independent, boundless world he has long wanted to explore.
“It’s very liberating to finally have this kind of music being shared,” Geiger said. “I think like, just even for my own artistic identity and stuff, it’s really nice to share what I’ve been up to with people because I think I’m known for the work I’ve done in other projects, but this feels like something that is very representative of what I’m interested in and things I want to make and explore and experiment with.”
To launch his solo career and set the tone for the album, Geiger released his first-ever single, “Steps Taken,” accompanied by a music video. He chose this track as the lead single because of its bold, straightforward energy—hitting listeners hard and fast, rather than easing in with a slow burner that might lose attention too quickly. With its energetic and unpredictable tone, the song contrasts with his previous mellow singer-songwriter, alt-folk pop projects. While this sound may come as a surprise, Geiger said it embodies his creative interests and reflects who he is as an artist.
Geiger worked with filmmaker Brock Davis Mitchell to visually make this single come to life through a striking, mystifying music video featuring strong imagery of flowers growing out of him and eventually overtaking his body from the inside out. Aligning with the track’s theme of navigating heaviness and internal battles, the video explores how something seemingly beautiful can blindly consume and eventually destroy us.
Melodic Magazine got a chance to sit down with Brock to talk all things Some Nights and how we prepared for the album.
“Where we kind of landed was like where something so beautiful, whether it be your artistic work or something like a relationship with someone, feels beautiful and it wants to grow in the way these flowers do, but ultimately, it was kind of eating us from the inside,” Geiger said.
Breaking from the common practice of launching a solo career with an EP or a series of singles, Geiger decided to release a 10-track album simply because the material existed and the format made sense to tell the complete story.
“I believe in the record,” Geiger said, “so I really love that there’s a full collection of work to share that it feels a little bit more representative of a full narrative and a clearer picture of the diversity of what I’m trying to say.”
Geiger didn’t initially intend for the hard drive full of music he created over the past few years to become a standalone solo album—it just happened naturally. Once he realized he had enough material for a full record, he teamed up with Will MacLellan—a Grammy award-winning producer, longtime bandmate and childhood friend—to finish the songs at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. Having played music and learned to record together since junior high, MacLellan and Geiger have built a strong creative bond, fostering a collaborative space rooted in trust.
“Even if I know it’s a dumb idea, I feel safe sharing things with him,” Geiger said. “Basically I had made a version of this record myself at my studio here and then started sharing that stuff with Will and he was excited enough about it that he invited me to come bring it to life a little further at the studio where he works.”
Sharing the songs with MacLellan helped the album develop sonically, introducing fresh ideas and new perspectives. Geiger wasn’t focused on achieving a certain sound; instead he let things flow, allowing himself to present the songs in different ways while experimenting with instruments and textures.
“I think when I was first setting out to do it, I was really interested in truly just letting the curiosities of what I was moved by steer the ship because I didn’t want to set up too many restrictions,” Geiger said. “I was really just wanting to let ideas happen and then judge them later.”
The album explores different sonic worlds, from the explosive indie rock/alternative edge of “Steps Taken” and “Some Nights” to the softer, more intimate production on “After Later” and “Early August Rain.” While each track sounds distinct, Geiger believes they can coexist.
“I started thinking about it as each song being different characters, or like to me they are different iterations of characters that I recognize in myself, basically,” Geiger said. “Where it’s like okay, yes, I have the very introspective ‘After Later’ soft, understated side, but then I also want to have fun and put on the sleazy club dance track that ‘Some Nights’ is.”
As he prepared for the drop of Some Nights today, Geiger said he was most excited for the release of the title track. Despite its heavy subject matter and reflections on a turbulent time, this song takes on an unexpectedly upbeat, dance-driven sound—making for a fun and experimental recording experience.
“I really liked how we dressed it up as a relentless dancy song because I’ve never got to explore that world in other projects where it’s just like forcing a groove at people that feels energized,” Geiger said.
Additionally, the record will be available as a limited-run vinyl, with the first 30 orders including an animated flipbook with risograph printing.
Listen to Brock Geiger’s new album now to be a part of his debut release!
Follow Brock Geiger: Website // Instagram // Spotify // YouTube
