If you were placing bets on the next band out of Cincinnati headed towards breakout national success, you’d be wise to put some money on Passeport.
Though the local ElectroPop foursome only released their first official singles last year, Passeport’s fully realized sound is the result of six years’ worth of experience and development together. Synth player Brian Davis, guitarist Benjamin Hines and singer Mia Carruthers — along with original drummer Sebastien Schultz (ex-Bad Veins) — formed the band after their previous project, Multimagic, ground to a halt in 2016 due to frontman Coran Stetter’s health issues (Stetter has since rebuilt the band with new members).
In 2017, Passeport made a fairly high-profile recorded debut on a track collaborating with producer/DJ NGHTMRE; the song “On the Run” was the lead-off song on his NGHTMRE, Pt. II EP, which came out on Mad Decent, the label founded by Diplo. Schultz left the band shortly after to join Scottish Indie Rock group The Twilight Sad. Tony Kuchma (Gold Shoes, Lightwash) is Passeport’s current drummer.
Last year, in association with the label Modern Outsider, Passeport released a pair of singles — “Bengal Light” and “Blood,” a track that was initially shared in 2017 with an accompanying music video that was nominated for a 2018 Cincinnati Entertainment Award (the group was also up for New Artist and Electronic awards at that year’s CEAs).
Both of those tracks are featured on Passeport’s debut EP, the five-song Aren’t We All, which came out in late February. The EP’s songs are pulsing, lush and evocative, slathered in a warm glaze of ethereal electronics and guitar textures, with Carruthers’ magnetic voice and melodies punching through the haze. Fans of the band’s avowed influences — like M83, Hot Chip and CHVRCHES — will find lots to love in Passeport, who bring to mind a wide range of other ElectroPop heroes, from the Eurythmics (“The Holler”) to Angel Olsen (“Words”), while retaining their own distinct and entrancing mystique and aura.
Note: Passeport’s release party scheduled for Friday, March 20 at Over-the-Rhine’s Woodward Theater has been canceled due to restrictions in Ohio related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Aren't We All is available now on Apple Music and Spotify.
Visit passeportmusic.com for updates and social media links.
