PREMIERE | PASTHYPE, 'Heaven's the Ceiling' EP

Pasthype’s ETA; press photo courtesy of Daniel Phelps.

The underground LA institution Pasthype has always offered music for spiritual and personal healing. Lead by the multimedia wunderkind ETA joined by local DIY talents from Cullen Griffin, Eddington Again, Michael Klein and more; the collective presents a first listen to the anticipated Heaven’s the Ceiling EP. From times of war, peace and into the maw of these turbulent times — the crew explores the atmospheric areas where meditations ascend into levitated stratospheres of stillness and senses of calm that defy conventional description.

The stage is set with the sound collage work of "Skyhook" that basks in the beauty of a sublime serenity that gently sways upward and into the reaches of the infinite. The melancholy chords collect together on "Tsunami 2" that features additional vocals from the melodic backup by allswans and some reflective bars provided by Eddington Again. The penultimate instrumental "Flat Earth" imagines our sphere flattened like one expansive continuous valley devoid of inclines, mountains and rounded edges that hovers forward toward the elusive intrigues of eternally extensive landscapes. The closing electric overture "1 Single Tear" washes down in wails of guitar bursts and sullen emotive rhythms that obscures the narrative compass that points everywhere toward destinations and fantastical parts unknown. Heaven’s the Ceiling is a meditative voyage that chronicles the narratives of the human psyche’s ascension into the celestial dimensions of untold enlightenment.

ETA and Cullen Griffin of Pasthype took the time to share some insightful thoughts:

The latest meditations during the Scorpio Season.

ETA: I’m really into this person right now. They’re just beautiful. They probably don’t even know how precious a stone they are. Maybe the first person I've met that mumbles more than me. But, they’re not ready to be unearthed — and more importantly, I’m probably not ready to unearth. And that’s cool. Relationships are these prisms that help us understand ourselves. Mine with Allie and Meika, vastly diametric but eerily similar, I’m really grateful and have a deep love for. They’re heartbreaks that have led me here to this cusp.

So I’m just trying to exercise virtues of patience and that means exorcising my expectations and desire for outcomes. In ways, I’ve been in a rush my entire life. I’m learning to let go and give myself up to it and whatever it becomes. Which makes it simpler to be at peace and abundant with myself. I’m definitely not always acing the tests, but I’m getting better. All my past selves are converging right now and who that becomes I’m excited to visualize.

Thoughts on shifting mediums and spending time away from music, and toward other endeavors.

ETA: This musical output is kinda a soundtrack to the initial phase of above journey. Music became this conduit to process a lot of new experiences at the time. Making music activates a presence and carries more instant gratification than other mediums, which kinda gives a sense of control. That’s probably what drew me to doing it.  My life was in utter disarray when you first covered me on Impose in 2016.

Cullen: I’ve been working on a few different projects recently. A couple months ago, I started playing guitar in a band out of Long Beach called Jagged Jein. That’s been fun and there are a couple of shows in the near future. Recording wise, I’ve been delegating my ideas into different projects with the idea of performing live with one or two of them. I guess I’m always involved in music at some capacity, especially since it does provide that immediate and palpable gratification that lingers throughout the day. Stepping away for bits of time is equally needed though, there’s a need to let your life and the world around you refill that creative well.

So tell us about the passions and purposes that informed the foundation for Heaven's the Ceiling.

ETA: These are just some straight sad ass slow jams {laughs]. There’s no irony in any of them. I was barely just reconciling with certain memories when all these were written. Cullen sent me the master to “1 Single Tear” while I was jogging Elysian Park with Holmes and I listened to it off my phone speakers. I feel like all these songs are meant to be played in the open air. Subconsciously, that’s probably what I was trying to do making them, to spread the memories in the crosswind like ashes.

Cullen: My goal in collaborations is to see how I can add to what is being expressed without stepping on or taking away from the mood and feeling. Along with that, I think my own relationship with memory probably meshed subconsciously with what ETA was trying to do. I tend to have a somewhat nostalgic tinge to my memories or at least I experience strong associative triggers when I’m out in the world. A smell, movement, gesture etc. It can trigger a sense of the past being around some corner somewhere near you, subtly pervading your current experience. I’m sure many people experience a similar feeling.

Beyond the sunsets and dawns with ETA of Pasthype; press photo courtesy of Daniel Phelps.

"1 Single Tear" has one of the most dynamic psyche-expanding guitar burst sequences in recent memory. Interested about your own method of energy conveyance through this musical facet.

ETA: I love solos, especially guitar solos. They can yearn in a pure, primal way song lyrics just can’t.

Cullen, how do you feel about my affectations toward solos?

Cullen: It’s great [laughs], It’s cathartic to be able to just play. Each collaboration and project is different and sometimes you’re mostly just fulfilling a role that needs to be done. From the beginning, ETA has trusted my abilities and sensibilities, which is a very fortunate place to be. That trust lends itself towards a more interesting creative output, in my opinion. If anything, they’re usually the one wanting me to open it up more and be more free with it, which is definitely encouraging to hear.

The process of how the making of Heaven's the Ceiling affected you personally, creatively and how it has pointed you toward what is next.

ETA: It’s cool because I can see in the sonic aesthetic of the songs hints of me crafting and honing in my cinematic style. And now I’m ready to lean into embodying those new insights. I understand the pace of my cinematic vision more succinctly. So I thank Cullen because he’s been a really patient collaborative partner and willing conduit for my pain therapy [laughs].

Cullen: It’s been quite an arc for me when I think about all that went into making Heaven. When I first started playing with ETA, we immediately started playing shows. I got a chance to play quite a few different places, which was great, and I saw the music evolve with each one. As we shifted more towards recording the music continued to evolve along with both of us personally. And now that it’s finished, I can see all the growth that accompanied that arc. I wouldn’t have made this music without ETA so I’m definitely grateful to have been able to collaborate with them. I’ve learned a lot during our sessions, trying to figure out how to translate his cinematic approach into sound. It’s always beneficial to gain new lenses to see your creativity through.

Insights on investing in greater tomorrows and future hype.

ETA: I started a morning prayer routine not too long ago. It’s created an intimate space for me to track my development, forgive, quiet expectations, give thanks, and listen to myself in the darkness and heal. The future’s in every breath. In every stellar YouTube tarot reading and ScorpioMystique post. In every Apichatpong Weerasethakul movie. And in Eddington Again’s and Frank Ocean’s next albums.

Heaven’s the Ceiling is available now via Bandcamp.