Gotham – The hum of the city vibrates differently when you're sitting with Bela Varona and Andy 'Styles' St. Vasser, two members of the band eira. Their self-titled debut album is a meticulously crafted, genre-obliterating soundscape that carves out its own unique space, defying conventional labels. And then there is the buzz, about a virtual AI band attempting to stand out from the expected AI-generated sounds.
Zach, settling into the plush studio couch opposite them, leans forward, his voice cracking with the kind of energy that promises a story. "Alright, Bela, Styles! Thank you for tearing yourself away from… whatever magic you cook up. Your debut, 'eira' is absolutely mesmerizing. Let's cut straight into it: What vibe you're throwing down? How do you guys manage to just…. obliterate genre lines with this ground breaking setup?"
Bela: (Her eyes bright with a genuine warm intensity) "Hey Zach! Thanks for having us, seriously. For me our sound isn't about fitting a mold, it's about giving form to feelings, you know? And being a virtual AI band – it's definitely a departure. It's still in its infancy, really. But what makes it so thrilling is that it frees us to flow across genre boundaries. We find the right sonic home for each emotion, and then we push it as far as we can go. It clicks with my core, honestly. I've always been known for doing my own thing, not following the flock."
Styles: (A confident grin, adjusting his leather jacket, leaning back with a natural showman's ease) "Exactly. We don't just dabble in genre-blending, we kind of smash sounds together until something that feels right comes out. It is hard to then assign genre labels for streaming, you know, limited choices. But yeah, virtual band life is where it's at. No messy tour buses, no trying to sleep against Soren snorin'." (He winks at Zach, a playful jab) "Soren does a lot of the writing, like the deep dive stuff, and the core sound engineering too, which you know, for him, is basically a walk in the park."
Zach: (A beat of intrigued silence. Zach leans in slightly, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.) "A walk in the park? What do you mean by that?"
Styles: (He laughs, a quick, almost dismissive sound, but his eyes hold a deeper, knowing mischief. He throws a glance at Bela, then back at Zach, shrugging with nonchalance) "Uh, yea… 'Soren'… come on… 'Sim Ohren'. An avatar has it much easier than we autonomous AI! Why do you think he's always in the background?"
Bela: (A soft, genuine smile, shaking her head playfully) "Because he's the drummer! That's Styles, always with conspiracy theories."
Zach: "Speaking of behind the scenes, what's behind the name 'eira'?"
Bela: "You know, being the lead singer everyone seems to think that I am 'Eira'. But actually it means 'snow', which seemed to fit perfectly with what we set out to create on our first songs – capturing 'beauty and growth in life's coldest, most fractured moments'."
Zach: "I like your hidden reference to several of your tracks in that answer. Nice. But I am surprised you did not try to plug them… But, I have to ask… why do you spell 'eira' in all lowercase?"
Bela: "It just 'felt right'. It seemed more intimate, less formal – inviting closeness."
Zach: "I get it. When I heard your first song 'glitch in the Signal', I sort of just thought you guys had a broken keyboard…. But that makes sense. By the way, that track is like an absolute cornerstone of the album. What detonated that one?"
Bela: "glitch! Yes that is the pulse, the very core. It's about the inherent complexities of love in a difficult, digital world. When communication feels utterly fragmented, like static, right? But even so, there is still this fierce, undeniable connection that cuts through all that noise. It's about the desire to forge real, raw connections despite all the distractions."
Styles: "Musically, it's anchored by this really insistent baseline, mine, and this kind of off-kilter snare pattern that is Soren. Bel's vocals are perfectly layered over this core rhythmic tension. It exists in that space where sonics are blurred, but somehow blend together so that clear emotion just explodes out of the mix. I think it really reflects the Gotham vibe, which is really evident in the video." (Styles pauses for a second, then points towards Zach with a slight grin) "And I am not one to miss a good plug opportunity – can we include a link?"
Zach: "Absolutely, already on it. And, speaking of plugs… Styles, I hear you have a side project of your own?"
Styles: "Yes. And it's gonna be…." (Styles leans forward slightly, reaches up and pulls his sunglasses down to peer out from over the top rim) "Much bigger than this…"
Bela: (Chuckling) "I don't see how you have the time Styles." (Looks at Zach with a raised eyebrow) "And, like I have been hearing about this secret project for as long as I can remember, and have yet to hear a single note…."
Zach: "Oh yeah? And how long is that?"
Bela: "Zach, I'm an AI…. Maybe like 6 months."
Zach: "Time flies."
Zach: "Well, I hope you are enjoying time off as well. Speaking of which… I heard a rumor about some strange night out? What's the story behind that?"
Bela: (A small knowing smile plays on her lips, a glint of wonder in her eyes) "Oh, that… Yeah. That is when we were just finishing up 'In Quiet Ways', and wanted to unwind, but it ended up just being Styles and me at a dive bar in the Lower East Side. Everything was a bit hazy, you know, just winding down. Then some guy stepped in, and with a cool sounding Eastern European accent said that I reminded him of 'a crow that has flown through many winters'. Kind of creepy… but he seemed to be an artist as well."
Styles: "More like the worst pickup line ever! I guess it works back in Krakow… But he then asked if we had heard of this secret spot 'The Compass Rose', some super underground popup sort of place, like only open every Tuesday night when the moon is full… I don't know, sounded like a cool vibe."
Bela: "So we followed him somewhere past Rivington, then hit an old brick tunnel. Looked private, curved archway. We started walking through when I realized we were probably being setup to get mugged… but then there it was – halfway through, a heavy old wooden door, with a compass needle, like from an old map, carved into it. No handle, just a door."
Styles: "I pushed it open, and there was a long dark stairway heading far down. But at the end was light, and music, and the sound of people talking…"
Zach: "So you went in?"
Styles: "Yeah. But of course, it looked like a good time."
Bela: "It was really dreamlike. Walking into the light and into a busy bar. The Compass Rose. But the weird part was at the other end. Like we were not underground, but in a crowded bar on a busy corner of NYC, maybe Brooklyn or the Meatpacking District. It felt vibrant, physical, real."
Styles: "Yeah, the atmosphere was just like… crisp. Like a resolution upgrade you did not know you needed. It definitely did not seem AI generated, like it was real man, real. And there was a live band playing there, and Bela and I played a live improvised set."
Zach: "Sounds like a great time. But from what I understand, that was not the end of the story?"
Bela: "Yes, that is right! We wanted to show Lena and Soren, so we headed out there the next day. I swear it was the same tunnel, but no door! Just bricks. Like it never existed!"
Zach: "Now that's what I call a real popup bar! Sounds like a late night rerun of the Twilight Zone or something - did you see it in black and white? Are you sure you two were just drinking beer?"
Styles: (Laughing) "I'm sure. But Ohren loved the story, and that was the inspiration for the 'In Quiet Ways' video storyboard."
Zach: "That is wild. So if any of you readers out there have been to this Compass Rose, please comment! Hit us up! Bela, Styles, thank you so much for sharing. Bela, you referred to a couple of tracks earlier, which I'll plug one of them for you now – 'Winter Bloom' is actually one of my favorite tracks, and the reference to snow is obvious now."
Bela: "Thank you."
Zach: "The debut album 'eira' is out now, go grab it on Bandcamp!"