The local startup shoegaze band, “A Letter For Ashley,” just released their first album, “The Place I Go In My Mind.”
Atticus Mitchell, the band’s founder, was inspired to name the band from an event that happened here in Indiana. He first thought of the name when walking through Fort Ben Park, where he noticed a letter in a bag hidden inside a fallen tree. The letter read, “Dear Ashley, I still love you! If you found this then the universe wants us to try and I am still yours,” which inspired him.
Their album was influenced by some of his favorite 90’s shoegaze and slowcore bands such as “Whirr,” “American Football,” “Red House Painters” and “Duster.”
“The Place I Go In My Mind” contains the songs “Hello World,” “Words,” “Selfish,” “Flannel Season,” “Im So Tired/ Please Let Me Sleep Some More,” “New Arrivals,” “Seven,” “Life Is Pain Highness, Anyone Who Says Otherwise Is Selling Something,” “Oxidation,” “The Ending Is Blue Sky/ I Miss The Sunset” and “For Her.” Some of their songs, such as “Words,” came with special meanings.
Mitchell says the song was built around some of his values, mentioning in an interview that he is, “opinionated and argumentative. I say a lot of things I don’t mean to say and I end up hurting people. The lyrics are basically about me confronting that and fixing myself. I’ve noticed I’ve been getting better recently.”
He also explained the meaning behind the song “Flannel Season,” stating, “This one’s about daydreaming and staying in your comfort zone. It confronts escapism and stuff like that.”
Their band has gained some popularity after its release with 48 monthly listeners and around 500 listeners total. These songs can be found on Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube Music and Spotify.