Keeper

In following progressive genres and artists, it's always interesting to see similar movements happening in totally different arenas. As we dwell in a time when acts like FKA Twigs and Kelela can breathe life into diverse arrays of electronic sound, it's dope to see a group of vocalists completely outside of their respective scenes doing the same thing, if not going a bit deeper. The women behind Keeper are just that group.

It's also rare that one hears a trio of singers getting together on a track, let alone always creating in a group mindstate. Keeper's an Austin, Texas collective that's been doing the damn thing for some time, and have linked up with a fellow Texan MoonDoctoR to create a versatile record, Moonhigh. Dropping soon on MoonDoctoR's Freshmoon imprint, it not only shows the broad spectrum of electronic beats MoonDoctoR can create, but how intriguing this trio can make these tracks feel. This isn't a random collection of one-verse odes to enlightenment over heavyweight drops; these are fully-realized songs that should make the way people look at singing over electronic tracks differently.

With the album's new single "Next to Me" out today, we decided to bring you the full experience, and get to know Keeper, the Moonhigh album, and their work with MoonDoctoR a bit more.
Keeper's a trio out of Austin, right? Talk to us about how you three came to be a group.
Yes, Keeper is a vocal trio based in Austin. We became friends, as a group, in 2009 during a sweaty summer of dancing. We bonded over our mutual love of R&B and writing three-part harmonies and after a few years of working in other projects we decided that we wanted to focus on creating music that we were passionate about on our own terms.

I know MoonDoctoR lives in San Antonio, but how did you three link with him initially, and what was it about your shared interests that turned into "let's work on a fire album?"
We met MoonDoctoR when we were releasing our first single "Bad Doctor." We did a remix contest and were introduced to him through a close friend who recommended that we ask him to remix the track. Once we started to get to know each other, we discussed maybe working on a song or two, but once we started we were all having too much fun to stop.

Having gone through Moonhigh, I definitely like the balance between the harmonies and the skittery electronic patterns. In the time of Tinashe, Kelela, and FKA Twigs, it feels like the evolution of a sound that's resonating. What sets Moonhigh apart from everything else that's out there?
We feel like we have the advantage of three distinct voices and three different perspectives toward a cohesive thought. From the start of this project we wanted to be able to write to beats that we connected to, regardless of the style, because we are all inspired by many different genres of music. MoonDoctoR has such a broad musical perspective that we were able to delve into multiple electronic sub-genres with one producer while representing a collaborative, rather than solo, approach to writing an album.

Why Moonhigh? That some play on your producer and what you four might've been engaging in in the studio?
Yes. - Complex Magazine

“Thankfully, in the face of death by generics and the musical equivalent of a series of meaningless one night stands, we have found a Keeper.” I said that a while ago when I wrote about “Next to Me,” the first single from the full album Moonhigh, which dropped 10/1 and premiered on The Music Ninja. And I meant it. These girls are bold and fearless. They bare their souls on this album, and MoonDoctoR on production thrusts these tracks into emotional superdrive. Each song is this wonderful mixture of a million different genres, lending themselves plentifully to the sweet sound that is Keeper. Throughout this LP, you can hear trap, hip hop, R&B, disco, dnb, and a whole lot of dance. Even rock/singer songwriter influences in there, which is a showing of their Austin roots and existence in a sea of mediocrity, uniquely and equally represented. This trio of femme fatales speaks to the lack of originality all too prevalent in today’s music. They call their sound synth soul, but it could be called any number of names edgy and bizarre, beautiful and raw, the tantalizing sound of three sultry sirens.

Yadira Brown, Erin Jantzen and Lani Camille Thomison are Keeper. They know how to write, vocalize, harmonize, spreading the most positive of vibes through their beautiful music. Haunting lyrics flow from attuned voices, in tune to the emotions of every living soul, and the instrumentals behind those touching voices go straight for your soul, where they wrap themselves around you. And you never want them to let go. Moonhigh is a collection of 8 songs that come together in one individual, distinct sound that is Keeper.

“Everything You Want” sets the tone for the album, with deep R&B feels telling of its mood. The lyrics are also telling you enticingly about the rest of this album, and the music of Keeper, saying so much with the lyrics, ‘got everything you want boy, got everything you want and more.’ It is sexual and inviting, a turn-on that goes straight to your head.

Next is the slow lull of “Find Yourself,” where inside the track you get lost and then find yourself again. This track has a crazy beat and slow, sweet melody with soulful vocals. Added bonus is the rap verse. It is so TLC, and I couldn’t love it more.

“Get On My Level” wins in title alone. I used to have a piece of coveted kandi with this exact message. It was one of the ones I never traded. It didn’t have all the frills of this track though: the dope, glitchy beat that kicks all those not on their (our) level to the curb. All I can think of as I listen to this is whoever broke the hearts of these girls is one (or more) serious fuccboi(s). And then I want to thank them, because we have this killer album as a result.

On to the darkness that is “Nature of the Beast.” There is a slow beat and eerie rumbling behind the vocals that gives you this feeling like you are in the middle of the countryside in the middle of the night and you are all alone in the pitch black, just standing there with the music. No one is coming to save you.

I wrote an entire article about “Next to Me,” which is linked above.

“Not Done” reminds me of an 80’s Janet Jackson song, and then it becomes something modern and dancy. And I am not complaining one bit.

“Restless” just adds to the versatility of this album, and serves to remind us of the producer behind the music, MoonDoctoR. Big ups. Also shouts to the high intensity vocals. I just want to get inside this track, and live in there.

“The Way Love Grows.” Funny I mentioned Janet Jackson earlier. Seriously though, this is the final track and another very gripping one. These girls hypnotize with their words and the production of MoonDoctoR draws you into their trance.

Keeper has all the makings of traditional music as we know it, but they remove themselves from that traditional to bring us a sound that is so new it is futuristic. Except here we are, in the present with Moonhigh. Hope you enjoy it and appreciate them as much as I do. - Run The Trap

It's tricky to locate the genre of Keeper, an Austin, Texas-based vocal ensemble, without turning to their self-description: "synth-soul." The trio, which consists of Yadira Brown, Erin Jantzen, and Kate Priestley, marries synth-heavy beats with three-part harmonies reminiscent of TLC and Destiny's Child. Here, we are pleased to premiere "Dock," a track from the group's forthcoming EP, Corners (which they will self-release on September 13). It opens with a scene ("I've reached the sea / The end of the earth / Known to me") that reflects Brown's state of mind while writing the song.

"I was at the end of some rope, fed up with certain things going on in my life," she recalls. "I had committed to changing these things and felt really isolated, but also hopeful and empowered for the first time in a while."

Less than an hour after hearing the first version of the song, which was produced by Bird Peterson, the track was written and demoed. "[Peterson] named it ‘Dock' so the concept of sitting alone on the edge of one came pretty quickly," says Brown.

As the first song written for the EP, "Dock" sets the tone for the rest of Corners: hypnotic and heavy, but not without hope. "Corners is certainly a bit of a departure from the vibe of our other releases; it's a lot darker but also uplifting in a sense," explains Jantzen. The introspection that inspired the lyrics for "Dock" connects the whole album, which rings with self-reflection. To that, Jantzen says, "The songs speak to heartache and making difficult choices. We've learned to stand on our own through this and feel more complete within ourselves." - Interview Magazine