Nashville’s dynamic rock trio, Sound&Shape, is set to redefine the boundaries of progressive rock with their new album, Pillars of Creation. The band consists of frontman and songwriter Ryan Caudle, drummer Ben Proctor, and bassist Pat Lowry.

Pillars of Creation, releasing on May 24, 2024, showcases the band’s signature blend of rich melodies, intricate arrangements, and profound lyricism, all crafted within just eight days at their Nashville home studio. The album was produced by Grammy-winning producer/engineer “Greazy” Wil Anspach, known for his work with legends such as Metallica, Muse, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The collaboration has resulted in a collection of 12 tracks that traverse a variety of genres, reflecting the band’s ambitious sonic trajectory.

The first singles from the album, Ruining the Fairytale and Don’t Make Me Make Believe, have already captivated listeners with their anthemic qualities and thought-provoking themes.

In our exclusive interview, Ryan Caudle delves deeper into the creative process behind Pillars of Creation, and the experiences that shaped the album’s introspective and expansive soundscape.

In your bio, “Pillars of Creation” has been described as your magnum opus. Can you tell us about the creative process behind this album and how it differs from your previous works?

When I saw the words “magnum opus” in the bio my first reaction was “uh oh…someone is going to call that out” haha, so thanks for being the first! We collectively felt like we’d set a personal bar with our last album, Disaster Medicine, and our only competition is ourselves, so we just went into this one with the mindset of bettering the last one and pushing our own boundaries as much as we could. The songs are a little longer, the arrangements a little more complex, we leaned a little bit more on timing changes and certain aspects of our music that only showed up a little bit on the last record. There’s also more synth and keyboard elements on this one and even some electronic percussion.

You mentioned that you wrote around 60 songs for this album. How did you go about selecting the final 12 tracks, and were there any tough decisions?

When we finally decided to officially start working on a new album I sat with all the demos I had…full songs, parts, riffs, etc…..and I made 3 lists, A, B and C. Once the A list got to about 20 I took that and listened down really hard. I think I got it down to 15 and then we started demoing as a band. As we were doing that though I started writing again and wrote Ruining the Fairytale, How to Talk to Ghosts and Sun Haired Sky Mother, so those replaced some that were tentatively going to make the record. I think I write one more in that batch but at that point the guys were like “please, no more songs” haha. It got to be a running joke in rehearsal. They’d hear me noodling and be like “stop!”

You stated that the album examines the nature of personal relationships and their impact on our inner world. Could you elaborate on how these themes are explored in the lyrics and music?

I personally spend a lot of time in my head and sometimes really struggle with being present, which can be trying for the people around me sometimes. I tend to be an observer much more than I am a participator until I stumble across someone at the right time who happens to share a certain interest or mentions a record I love or a band or something like that and then I’ll talk for hours. So I kind of looked at how looking out at the world, the good, the bad, all the beauty, the devastation, the people I love, the people I don’t understand, and tried to examine how much of ourselves is because of those factors and how much is despite of those. The jury is still out haha. Musically I think the record does a good job of illustrating the utter circus that my brain can be at any given time. Sometimes the music is soothing and calm, sometimes it’s heavy and angry, sometimes it’s frantic and heading to outer space. The goal is to mimic a sort of microcosm of the human experience in 54 minutes or however long the album is.

Working with Grammy-winning producer “Greazy” Wil Anspach, what unique contributions did he bring to the album, and how did his involvement shape the final product?

Wil is an effects genius. I would tell him what vibe I was thinking for a part and he would just take it to the stratosphere. I have several texts from when he was sending mixes where he’d say “Ok just listen to this with an open mind.” He was trying to push us as much as the listener. We knew we didn’t want to make your typical rock album and he definitely helped us achieve that.

“Ruining The Fairytale” deals with the ideal versus the reality of relationships. How do you think listeners will relate to this song, and what message do you hope to convey?

I think anyone who has ever been in a relationship can probably relate. We grow up with movies and songs and books all telling us these stories of how love and romance should be and the reality is so much messier and difficult. We’re sort of fed this roses and chocolates version of love and it’s so not that. I mean, maybe for some people haha. So the chorus says “are you mad at love for ruining the fairytale?” meaning, are you mad at what love actually is for bursting the bubble of what you thought it would be? Because love isn’t practical, it’s not clean and it’s not even one thing.

Ryan, you mentioned mining some inner territory for the lyrics. Was there a particular song or moment during the writing process that was especially cathartic or challenging for you?

How to Talk to Ghosts is a pretty personal song, especially the last lines of the second verse, “As I stumble over one more jagged plea, please be gentle, I’m only as perceived.” The whole song is about trying to learn to be alone, but also about still feeling lonely in a crowd.

How has the dynamic within the band evolved from your debut album to “Pillars of Creation”?

Well, the lineup has changed several times since the debut, but this lineup has been the same for the longest of any, for over 6 years now. We settled into the dynamic we have now pretty quick to be honest. We’re all generally laid back (about most things haha…..I’m a Jewish Capricorn so…make of that what you will) and we get along super well and genuinely love and care about each other. 

Given that “Pillars of Creation” was recorded in just eight days, how did the limited time frame impact the recording sessions, and how did it impact the final sound or energy of the songs?

I think it actually helped in that we knew we were pressed for time so we had to nail takes so I think we played with a certain sense of purpose. The only person who really dropped the ball in any way was me. I had originally wanted to go into the sessions with all the guitar solos written ahead of time, and I went in with exactly none of them worked out haha. I ended up just playing them all completely off the cuff which has made recreating them live quite difficult. I think having limited time did add a sense of urgency to the overall feel of the record though.

With the release of “Pillars of Creation,” what are your plans for touring and promoting the album?

We’ve already done two short runs this year, we actually just got back from a bunch of shows in Louisiana and Texas (and a 17 hour drive home from Corpus Christi), and we already have dates through July. We’ll be touring behind this album at least through the end of 2025 and plan on getting to everywhere we possibly can get.

Looking ahead, do you have any plans for future projects that you can share with us?

I’ve already started writing a few things for the next album which we have a specific plan for but it’s far too early to discuss 🙂

And of course, we need a few fun questions!

What is, or would be, your go-to karaoke song?

“Purple Rain”

If your band were to star in a movie, what genre would it be and who would play each of you?

Comedy.

Brad Pitt would play me of course, Chris Pratt would play Pat and Arnold Schwarzeneger would play Ben.

What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever had?

I worked in the kitchen at an old folks home.

What’s your guilty pleasure song or artist that you love but might surprise your fans?

In high school I was a huge The Chicks fan. I would be driving my little red Ford Escort to meet all my punk rock friends but when I got close I’d switch out tapes and throw Bad Religion or NOFX in my stereo.

If you were a musical instrument, which one would you be and why?

Hmm, maybe an oboe?

If you could tour with any band, past or present, who would it be and why?

Probably Opeth so I could nerd out on music with Mikael and get guitar lessons from Fredrik.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring three albums with you, which ones would you choose?

The White Album, So, Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness.

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