As everyone knows, Portland has no shortage of talented musicians. Notel, one of the latest bands to emerge from the city, contains a number of familiar faces from across its music scene including She Shreds’ own Peter Condra (Magic Mouth) and Becky Miller (EMA, Top Parts) on guitar, Emily Kingan (Lovers, The Haggard) on drums, and Lorna Krier (Lorna Dune, JD Samson + MEN, Philip Glass Ensemble, Terry Riley) on synths.

Notel is steeped in non-traditional guitar sounds and scales and draws inspiration from abstract art, experimental music, and 70s movie soundtracks to create moody instrumental psychedelic soundscapes. While they definitely have a dark side, “Sun Resevoir,” the first track they are sharing with the public is the most easygoing composition they’ve written to date.

According to Miller, the song started around a sense of “call and response” between Condra’s guitar and hers that eventually grew to include the whole band. “I think we all have a love for no-wave and noise music (which features a bit more prominently in our other songs), but also a great appreciation for ornate melodies and lush soundscapes. “Reservoir” gets at both melody and soundscape, when the middle movement opens up to a sort of expansive psychedelic desert, and things relax before they go back into tighter themes from the beginning of the song,” she says.

Check out the graphic video for “Sun Reservoir” now, and look for more from Notel in the months ahead!