You would think our fast-paced world would demand fast-paced music, right? Wrong.

Countless artists are putting out slower, more ambient releases that pull listeners in—much like how a film captures your attention in the details, only to lead you through the intense gyrations of a story arc. Dream pop, downtempo, ambient noise, and other experimental subgenres have all claimed a piece of the action. Brooklyn even has an Ambient Church now.

Fielder, a DC-based group with a focus on indie pop and synthy rock, is pushing boundaries with their own patiently ethereal sound. On January 28, they took the stage at the Brooklyn venue C’mon Everybody.

Opening for the group was the electronic artist Twig Twig, who appeared with little more than a MIDI controller and a mic before launching into staggeringly gorgeous tirades of art pop sound-collaging. Next came the indietronica artist Leach, who managed an entire set by manipulating a tape deck, pounding a keyboard, and running his vocals through distorted delays and vibrato. Each performance was a fluid event with its own contorted splendor.

Fielder ended the night with six songs. Three off their debut EP, Ep1, and three untitled songs still in development. Consisting of five guys who’ve all known one another since high school, the group displayed cohesion and maturity on stage. They sewed together bass-heavy keyboard with a full drum set, and glitchy guitars with a steady bass line. Each track had the elegance of IDM with the hard-hitting punch of rock.

But Fielder’s trademark sound came from Will Guerry’s vocals, which floated high above all else in long drawn out falsetto. Given that Guerry sings, plays guitar, and does most of the group’s production and mixing, his bandmates refer to him as Fielder’s main orchestrator.

“Let’s call him the nucleus,” Jordan Wolff laughed, the group’s drummer, “He’s the hands.”

Last year their debut EP was self-released under their former name, Dawkins. They have since signed with a new label, changed their name, and re-released the EP under this new arrangement. Their label, OTHERFEELS, is an up and coming artist development collective based out of DC. Twig Twig is another recent acquisition for the label.

Face to face with the group in the back of a bar, their sound seemed to meander as much towards neo-psychedelia as it did towards heavier noise rock. While their studio recordings came softly creeping into view, tastefully ignoring any recognizable structure, their live set seemed to appeal towards something more formal. Songs seemed to climb before hitting a drop. Arrangements were made to cue the audience into particular moments of catharsis.

When asked about their influences and where they plan to take their sound, their gravitation towards the experimental seemed central.

“A lot of Raymond Scott, a lot of doo-wop, and a lot of '60s commercial music,” Guerry said. “Also early electronic compositions that are in this weird, kitschy, pop setting. We ended up sampling Raymond Scott a lot and we’re still trying to get legal clearance for it.”

Fielder described their creative process as primarily, and haphazardly, following their intuition. In the past, their methods of collaboration were almost entirely virtual. Stationed in different cities around the country, the bandmates would record and edit bits of songs separately before combining them altogether for a master cut.

While this isn’t their sole methodology now, Fielder does sometimes still rely on virtual cooperation. For Grayson Jobst, the group’s bassist, it creates the unique and rewarding experience of stepping into the songwriting mid-process.

“I come from a privileged position,” he said, “I’m coming in and playing these set lists that become this trapeze of all these different things. I feel like I’m this mechanism that’s being added onto the group. I’m just showing up. It’s sweet, it’s so much fun—but I feel like everything is going on around me.”

The group’s dynamic gels together nicely. On stage they function as a unit, all with their established roles. Off stage, they morph into a group of goofy creatives. While they’re aware of what they like and where they’ve come from, the only guiding principle they have for the future is a hunger to grow and try new things.

“When you go somewhere that you don’t know, you don’t immediately label it,” Carson Lystad said, Fielder’s lead guitarist, “You work your way around. Eventually, maybe one day in retrospect, we can say this is this kind of sound.”

The Brooklyn show was the group’s last gig for the coming months. This February they plan on spending time in the studio, fleshing out new concepts, and recording some tracks for an upcoming EP.

Check out Fielder on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on their upcoming projects and other announcements.

Image Credit: Cina Nguyen