On the Road

ABOVE: LOWER DENS. IMAGE COURTESY OF SEAN DONNOLA

Since releasing its 2010 debut, Twin-Hand Movement, the drone-rock band Lower Dens has spent a lot of time on the road, captivating audiences with its hazy, atmospheric sound. Travel proves to be “the time when I work on new stuff,” explains front woman and guitarist Jana Hunter, who wrote much of the quintet’s new album Nootropics (Ribbon Music), out this month, while on tour last year. “You end up with a lot of time to think in a van, and I just became fascinated with our relationship with technology.” The album—which references artificial intelligence and features racing, metronomic beats against dark, guitar-driven melodies—reflects this obsession. “I find that touring can rob you a little bit of your humanity,” says Hunter. “But I kind of like getting sucked into the wormhole.”