Are You LEXperienced?

Pop quiz: What do Joseph Campbell, Blade Runner and Trent Reznor have in common?

Answer: The L.A. synth-pop quartet LEX.

“A lot of our inspiration comes from movies such as Blade Runner, The Neverending Story and Labyrinth,” bandmember Leah Chrisholm tells EW via email. Chrisholm grew up in Eugene.

LEX is touring in support of their debut self-titled release produced by Peter Franco, who also worked on the last two Daft Punk records. The band describes its sound as “fantasy synth.”

Inspiration for LEX’s live show also comes from an unexpected place. “We have written our own creation myth, based loosely off of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth,” Chrisholm says. “We then wrote the soundtrack to that myth, inspired by the likes of Trent Reznor and Cliff Martinez,” she continues, “and play it between our songs during our set as the creation myth is told over parts of it.”

A distinct futuristic boho sense of visual style permeates LEX’s work. The band’s creative director, Michelle Zamora, has worked with Katy Perry and Pharrell among many others.

The band also uses vintage analog synthesizers. “We do not play with any backing tracks or computers,” LEX said in a press release.

“Which has been a challenge,” Chrisholm admits, “considering the album was recorded with all vintage synthesizers. But it has been a wonderful experience to figure out how to actually create live electronic music.”

LEX plays 8 pm Tuesday, March 31, at WOW Hall; $10 adv., $12 door. — William Kennedy

A Note From the Publisher

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