LA-Based Indie Rock Duo Hand Drawn Maps Balance Light and Darkness On Sparkly New Single “Catch A Wave”; Stream The Live Performance Video
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| Hand Drawn Maps is an indie rock duo that hails from the South Bay in Los Angeles. The band was started by lifelong friends Stewart Crichton and Blake Baldwin who write and compose all of the music themselves. The two create a unique sound that pulls influences from a vast array of genres including classic 1960s psychedelia all the way through current indie rock and pop.The duo has just released its new single “Catch A Wave”, along with an accompanying live video that was filmed at the legendary Redondo Beach CA studio Total Access Recording (Black Flag, Pennywise, Descendents, No Doubt, Sublime), where they also recorded the track.Stewart says, “Like a lot of our songs, we try to balance these feelings of positive and negative since after all, a lot of our inspiration comes from our past battles with drugs and experiences with altered states. We aren’t exactly great at just writing happy songs with happy lyrics because life is not always like that. Even though Catch A Wave has a certain bounce to it, we tend to draw inspiration from some of the more painful moments of life and the struggle to get by, and that’s why we sometimes write these songs that have this mismatch between the overall feeling of the music and the lyrics.”Of the video, Blake says, “After we recorded the EP with Steve over at Total Access, it was a no-brainer for us to shoot a live video in that space because that is where all the creative energy was for this batch of songs. There are so many amazing instruments in that place, a lot of which we used while recording the EP, and it’s just such a vibe. We feel so comfortable there and we really wanted a great spot to showcase these songs and what the band is about.”Stream “Catch A Wave” on DSPs: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/handdrawnmaps/catch-a-waveWatch “Catch a Wave” (Live From Total Access Recording) HERE: https://youtu.be/xFTCwQgNRMsDirector: Tim WakefieldDirector of Photography: Greg ErMusic Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Steve Ornest at Total Access RecordingProduced by Steve Ornest, Blake Baldwin, and Stewart CrichtonAll songs by Stewart Crichton and Blake BaldwinStewart Crichton – Vox/GuitarBlake Baldwin – Vox/GuitarRob Humphreys – PercussionEvan Vine – BassJohn German – Keys |
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| Stewart and Blake grew up as close family friends in the South Bay of Los Angeles, bonding over music at a young age. But as life would have it, the two took long, separate paths before inevitably reuniting.In the years that passed, Blake went on to study music at CalArts, while Stewart traveled the world touring with a performing arts group as a principal singer and musician. Life eventually caught up with Stewart as drugs and alcohol started to take control of his life. He found himself helplessly reliant on opiates and began selling all his music equipment to obtain money to buy drugs.On Christmas Eve 2012, Stewart was going through a major opiate withdrawal while also being deep in the waves of an LSD trip; he eventually found himself stranded in front of CVS in the pouring rain in a random part of town. “I was confronted with all of my thoughts, emotions, and demons before finally having an epiphany that I couldn’t go on living this way. After this painfully transformative psychedelic experience, I called my family and they got me into a treatment center the next day. I haven’t touched any mind altering substances since.”Shortly after his treatment, Stewart moved to Highland Park, CA to get back on his feet, focusing more on music and working odd jobs. Stewart began performing under the moniker Hand Drawn Maps, a name established after he was reading the book Dune. “I was beginning to understand the linear nature of time and how we control our own destinies with decisions we make. Every possibility and situation comes down to the hand drawn map that we follow for our lives.”After having a conversation with his mother, Stewart discovered that Blake was moving to Highland Park. The two met up after years of a disconnect and quickly realized how similar their personal tastes in music were. After a short jam session, they quickly began demoing music for their self-titled EP.Blake explains, “We got together because I heard through the grapevine that Stewart had a rehearsal studio and I really needed a place to practice drums. I offered to start playing bass for him in exchange for access to his lockout. Something I never expected however was our incredible songwriting chemistry.”The duo was ready to head into the studio in the beginning of 2020 when the world was overtaken by the Coronavirus pandemic and the project was put on hold. Crawling out of the pandemic, they decided to take the project to producer/engineer Steve Ornest at the legendary Total Access Recording in Redondo Beach, CA to record a brand new EP to be released summer of 2021. |