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Who are The Lumineers?

The Lumineers are a scruffy, independent Americana trio based out of Denver, Colorado including songwriters Wesley Schultz (vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (piano, drums) and cellist/backing vocalist Neyla Pekarek. Wesley and Jeremiah were connected growing up in Ramsey, New Jersey through Wesley’s best friend and Jeremiah’s big brother Josh Fraites. After his early death in 2002, the two connected and began to find solace in music and songwriting. In the coming years, the two toured together using several different names, such as Free Beer, 6Cheek, and Wesley Jeremiah. Due to the high cost of living in New York City where they were living, they relocated to Denver, Colorado and posted a Craigslist add for a cellist. The classically trained cellist Neyla Pekarek responded to the ad and became the third member of The (newly-coined) Lumineers.

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I never thought of us as folk but there was maybe some connection in the rejection of modernity.

Jeremiah Fraites

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Wary of fame and commercialism

For me, The Lumineers are the antithesis of modern capitalist, technologically centered, consumer culture. They don’t throw advertisements in your face as so many modern artists do and they focus on a raw, natural sound and aesthetic that has the ability to transport you away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Their own rejection of modernity and wariness of fame is something so essential to the group that it’s discussed on their website. The website writes about the way that The Lumineers have found success in the old-fashioned, word of mouth way, “based on great songs and emotive performances.” In addition to their commitment to pure, timeless music and old-fashioned values, there’s a wariness of fame and the potential corruption that comes along with it present in much of their music. Their first single on their most recent album, “Ophelia,” personifies fame as a “danger temptress” and a drug. Another song on the album, “My Eyes,” detailed the lure of Hollywood and the way it can crush you dreams, rather than bring them to life: “The glow of Hollywood signs, they sold you a bridge. They fed you the lines.” This wariness of fame expressed in their lyrics and their commitment to a raw sound separates The Lumineers from artists who feed too much into popular culture and lose their depth in their desperate attempts to make money.

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We gravitated towards a sound that was more pure and timeless.

Jeremiah Fraites

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Wesley, Jeremiah, & Neyla. The Lumineers. 

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The first album: The Lumineers

The Lumineers released their first album, The Lumineers, with Dualtone Records on April 3rd, 2012 and it quickly worked its way into mainstream popularity. It’s a largely acoustic album, heavy on soft keys and percussion from Jeremiah, cello and mandolin magic from Neyla, and the raw, emotional vocal power of Wesley. On the simple nature of the album, Jeremiah says: “The first album you could play in an electrical blackout. We set up in a living room without amplification because that is all we had.” It turned out that that’s all they needed, as the album went on to peak at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. A lot of The Lumineers’ success is thanks to the way that “Ho Hey,” the album’s first single, caught like wildfire. The song sprung from the album into popular culture quickly, being featured in commercials for Bing, U.K.-based company E.ON, and Blue Moon beer, appearing as a playable track in Guitar Hero Live, and played in several mainstream television shows. “Ho Hey” is a romantic, feel-good anthem, punctuated with shouts in a way that demands a listener’s full attention and engagement. “Stubborn Love” was the second single released from the album and the prominence of the strings instruments and the repetition within it comes from Wesley’s desire for the song to “sound like you were in church when people heard it.” Another key song on the album, though never released as a single and somewhat of an underdog, is “Dead Sea.” The song came together in about three months and was a combination of Wesley’s lyrical genius and Jeremiah’s penchant for finding just the right chord. Every single song on the album highlights a new aspect of The Lumineers timeless talent: lyrics, vocals, percussion, cello, and story telling. This debut self-titled album gave The Lumineers a steady platform on which to build the rest of their musical careers.

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“[The Lumineers make] music with real lyrics and real instruments that speak[s] to everyone.

Billboard

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The Lumineers’ debut record is instantly gratifying—and not in the hasty, shallow way often found in pre-fab pop songs either. While some records take days or months to properly digest, there’s an instant connection here similar to that sonic euphoria many people found upon hearing their first roaring Mumford song, favorite Dylan lyric or perfect Head and The Heart harmony.

Paste

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The debut from this Colorado crew basically argues that a bunch of Americans can lead slowly-accelerating lovelorn sing-alongs just as well as UK yankophile Marcus Mumford.

Rolling Stone

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The second album: Cleopatra

Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites took their time when creating the second studio album for The Lumineers. Cleopatra was released in the United States on April 8th, 2016, some four years after their first album, The Lumineers. The album was produced after three years of non-stop touring following the success of their first and in a “heady whirlwind of growing fame.” Wesley and Jeremiah rented a small house in Denver and isolated themselves for six months of intense, highly emotional writing and honing of material. After the writing was complete, the group had another two grueling months of recording in a rural studio in Woodstock. The sound of the second album as compared to their first is a bit broader and more complex, more “plugged-in.” It is a testament to the success of their first album that they were able to spend so much time perfecting their material and expanding their musical palette for the second.

The album opens with the song “Sleep on the Floor,” which describes a need to run away and escape the blandness and repetition of everyday life.“ It’s strong percussion and driving downbeat are enough to make even the most secure person want to run away to find freedom. The song for which the entire album is named, “Cleopatra,” is another highlight of the album. It’s more of a story than a song, and Wesley’s inspiration for it can be found in the YouTube video below. “Cleopatra” is more guitar and string-heavy than the percussion-focused “Sleep on the Floor,” and I find that this lends itself well to the narrative aspect of the song. One song off the album that I don’t feel gets enough credit or attention, and my all-time favorite song, is “Gun Song.” Wesley got the inspiration for the song after finding a pistol in his recently deceased father’s dresser drawer. The way that Wesley’s raw and emotional voice lends to the similarly raw lyrics, the strong piano line, and Neyla’s addition on the cello create a perfect storm for a song that’s equally exhilarating, heart breaking, and hopeful. Of all the songs included on the album, there’s not a loser among them. Each brings The Lumineers’ commitment to honesty and integrity of sound to life and serves as a reminder to the world that they are here to stay.

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I think the old-fashioned way is the honest way. We wanted to take our time, strip it right back to its raw and honest essentials, and make an album we believe in.

Wesley Schultz, on the making of Cleopatra

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To have the courage to confront what your life is really like...

Wesley Schultz on the inspiration for “Cleopatra”