Written by: Isabel Gerhiem
“Gabe’s House came to me in a dream but is also used as a metaphor for multiple personalities occupying the same mind. Nobody knows how many people live in your house from the outside.” Mileto said. The album cover portrays a doll house in which every room is visible.
Following the release of local band Trip Lotus’s debut album, trumpet and keyboard player Ethan Zawacki said, “ I’m very pleased with how it turned out and with how our supporters received it.”
Zawacki stated, “The album name we decided on was ‘Pleasantly Disguised,’ it is a lyric in the song titled ’Dunes.’ We released it on October 13. It is available on all streaming platforms.” The album’s title is inspired by another song lead singer and songwriter Frank Mileto sings.
Mileto stated in a Trip Lotus Instagram post, “I just want to share how meaningful this project has been to me and being able to share the experience with my best friends.”
“All these songs encapsulate my journey as a songwriter over the past three years. I couldn’t have done this without the amazing musicians and wonderful people alongside me: Ethan, Sean, Evelyn, and lots of love to Benito for co-producing and engineering this album. We all hope you enjoy ‘Pleasantly Disguised’ Thanks for listening. We love you!” Mileto said.
Drummer, songwriter, and background vocalist Benito Countouris stated, “There’s room for improvement, but we did a great job overall.”
Sean Haberle, bass, said, “I’m very happy I was able to make a musical project with my friends.”
Evelyn Weixel, on saxophone, stated, “I’m very proud of the band coming together and working hard together to record and release the album. I’m excited to do more with the band, and we can only get better from here.”
Trip Lotus explained that they gained a lot of followers on Instagram and that since this was their first album, they gained an influx of listeners across streaming platform
Mileto stated, “ The doll house is ’Gabes House,’ which is the name of the album’s opening track. This house was also featured in the music video for “Dissociate,” the band’s most popular song. The house is from a dream Frank Mileto had, where it was occupied by a man named Gabe, who was blind and fed birds. The lyrics of “Gabes House” explain his thoughts.”
Weixel stated regarding the album cover, “I like the image of the house because Trip Lotus has become a family for me, and the dollhouse is a good representation of that kind of connection.”
Trip Lotus shared in an instagram video post regarding the album debut was directed by Cary Young and Cinematography by Justin Robinson.
Following the debut album, the band recently played at the 9Fifty-Seven Halloween Bash accompanied by two other bands. Trip Lotus played an album release show on October 13th at the Government Center in Pittsburgh’s North Side. They also played a show in South Oakland on October 27th.
The band shared that the band had its first practice i
n September 2021. The original members met at a summer jazz camp and “loved their ability to make great music together.” Zawacki stated. Zawacki continued, “Trip Lotus is working on songs for a second album, but there is no release date. The second album has a slightly different style and sound compared to the first, but it will still have that Trip Lotus core sound to it.”
The band recently got to play on WPTS radio on October 18, Trip Lotus posted in an Instagram post. The post stated, “Tune into WPTS radio at 9 p.m tonight to catch some tunes. Thank you so much to everyone.”