Contributed by Connor Tomlinson
Listening to a song is one thing, but experiencing live music is another. Those adventures are just what band and art collective Impulse Machine strives for with their music and visuals.
Describing their music as experimental metal, the band’s sound involves a mix of metal, rock and industrial sounds.
“It varies a lot from EP to EP,” said Connor Tomlinson, lead singer and NC State graduate student in liberal studies. “It’s more about how we approach songwriting and how we approach the live show. It’s really theatric. We try to keep people on their toes.”
Formed in summer 2021, the band is composed of four members including Tomlinson, bassist Zac Strum, drummer Jordan Servie and guitarist Ethan Bowen.
With lyrics that draw from experiences, politics and even horror films, the lyrics and sound allow listeners to experience many emotions.
“I want people to enjoy it and then have a little bit, like 30 seconds of feeling overpowered by the music before they can enjoy it again,” Tomlinson said.
The members aren’t afraid to learn and play other instruments to give their songs a unique sound. Instruments like tambourines, bongos, banjos and even the fiddle have been used both in the recording room and in live performances to create an experience one won’t forget.
“I just like playing different instruments, they have different energies to them,” Strum said. “They give me different feels when I play them, so any chance I have to hop on a banjo I will.”
But the art doesn’t stop there. Impulse Machine places emphasis on visual components that makes their music come to life. Strum focuses on the visuals which can be seen in their live shows, visualizers and on their website.
“A lot of people play music, but music isn’t the full extent of the expression of the artistic vision,” Strum said.
After recording and putting out music, the next step is performing. Adding art and visuals to live shows helps to get the message of the lyrics across to the audience.
“Some stuff I want to be danceable, some stuff I want to be mosh-able, some stuff I want for people to yell along,” Tomlinson said. “We do what we can to make it happen with all the additional resources you have live.”
According to Bowen, the art and the energy in the room is what drives performances. Living up to the name, Impulse Machine’s members work together to create an authentic show that allows the audience to feel every song.
“It’s the difference between bumping your head to the radio and sitting down with some speakers and listening to a song and feeling what’s happening,” Strum said.
The exclusive experience at the band’s live shows is evident from crowds that go hard by dancing, bobbing their heads and jumping to the sound.
“Seeing an audience that has this sort of reaction to their music is something that you can’t beat,” Servie said.
Although the band is fairly new, the group is getting more comfortable with performing together. Each live show seems to get better and better — Impulse Machine’s most recent show at Game Over Comics in Burlington, North Carolina had an atmosphere that made the show unforgettable.
“It was surreal, I really didn’t know what to make of it and I almost messed up in that moment looking out at all their faces smiling up at me,” Bowen said.
And there are surely more smiling faces to come. With more live shows and visuals to come and the band’s new single, “riotCONTROL,” planned to release this summer, the group doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
The band plans to have their next live show on April 20 in Richmond, Virginia at Treasure Island Fest. Following that, you can find them on May 14 at the Backyard Bash in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
To keep up with the band, check out their website and follow them on Instagram. Listen to their newest EP, “Ultraviolent,” on all streaming platforms, and be on the lookout for new visuals on their YouTube channel in the coming months.