LANDROID Discuss “Constellation” and the Expanding Sound of Desert-Inspired Psychedelia

A profound sense of isolation and vast geography heavily inform the music of LANDROID. After spending decades touring the world and navigating various strains of the Los Angeles punk and rock scenes, the duo relocated to the remote community of Landers, California. Leaving behind the grit of urban venues, they allowed the wide-open landscape to fundamentally re-engineer their sound. Operating out of their home turf, LANDROID creates a soundscape that is deliberately expansive, cinematic, and otherworldly while staying very catchy.

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The band recently released their sophomore album, “Constellation,” a mythic, non-linear concept record that tackles ancestral inheritance, Gnostic creation myths, and repeating historical patterns. To celebrate the release, Gillespie and Gordon kicked off a West Coast tour directly from their backyard in Joshua Tree, packing up their RV to bring their immersive, visually synchronised live show to cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, and Sacramento. LANDROID sat down to discuss the transition from the physical chaos of the LA punk scene to ethereal desert songwriting, the deep human connections hidden beneath their trippy visual production, and the daily rituals that keep them grounded on the road.

You’re launching “Constellation” from Joshua Tree, essentially your backyard. What does it mean to debut this album at home before taking it on the road?

There’s something really special about launching “Constellation” at home because this album was born here. You can feel the desert in every song.

Joshua Tree has this incredible community of artists, musicians, and beautifully strange humans who have supported us from the beginning. It feels less like a “release show” and more like inviting everyone to a surreal celebration of art (both ours and the artists showing their work during the Art Walk, which is happening that night).

Then we get to pack up the RV and take these songs to the West Coast. Starting at home gives us a chance to celebrate the album in the place that inspired it before we send it off to have adventures of its own.

How do the cosmic themes and more intimate human stories in “Constellation” come through in your live show?

Greg programs all of our visuals and lighting, so there’s this immersive, otherworldly quality to the performance. The lights pulse and shift with the music… and every once in a while, aliens make an appearance.

But I think the humanity in the songwriting comes through, too. At their core, our songs are about love, loss, family, longing, identity… There have been several times when someone comes up to us after a show with tears in their eyes and tells us that a song reminded them of a person they loved or a chapter of their life they’d forgotten about.

So while the show may look trippy on the surface, what I think people are really responding to is something deeply human. 

You’re originally from the LA punk scene. How does coming back to play cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento feel now compared to your previous musical lives?

Well, there’s a lot less beer being spit on us.

The funny thing is, even though the music sounds completely different, the feeling isn’t. Back then, we were looking to create connection and community through our music. We’re still doing that, just with a considerably lower risk of encountering other people’s bodily fluids.

Are there any venues on this run you’re especially excited to play?

There are a lot of venues we’re excited about, but Add-A-Ball in Seattle might be the one I’m most curious about. It’s a pinball arcade and live music venue. Of course, I love the iconic clubs everyone knows, but it’s often the quirky little spots that become your favourites. Touring is one of the few things left in life where you can still stumble into something completely unexpected.

Life on the road tends to come with its own routines. What are some habits or rituals you can’t tour without?

These days, I’m a lot less “rock-and-roll” than I used to be. My touring essentials are plenty of sleep, my vocal nebuliser, Emergen-C, and my puppies.

What does post-show decompression look like for you?

Most people wouldn’t guess that I’m an introvert. I once heard you can tell an introvert from an extrovert because an extrovert gets charged up by being around people, and an introvert gets depleted. That’s me.

I want to be sure to say that I love hanging with fans at our shows, but after spending an hour onstage under lights, singing my heart out, and chatting with people, I need a little quiet time to come back to Earth and recharge my battery. Usually, that means loading gear, hanging out with Greg, taking the dogs for a walk, and finding a cup of mint tea.

Once the tour is wrapped, what’s next for LANDROID? Back to the desert studio, or something else in the works?

We’re jumping right back into album three.

One of the benefits of living out in the desert is that inspiration is never in short supply. We have a bunch of new songs already taking shape, so July and August will be spent writing, recording, and seeing where the next record wants to go.

Then we’ll pack up the RV and hit the road again in September and October for another run through the Southwest and Northwest.

I think we’ve finally accepted that LANDROID is happiest when we’re alternating between two modes: disappearing into the desert to make weird, dreamy music and then taking it out into the world to share with people. That’s our life these days, and we’re having a lot of fun with it.

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