3ft is a five-piece psych rock fit from Detroit. It took them a while to become the solid band they are today. But they’re here. And they are releasing “Evening Song.” It’s a vintage, organ-driven pop song that explores dealing with personal depression and the feeling of captivity in a relationship, along with the self-destructive nature of desire and wanting something too much.

The track is the first to be released off the band’s upcoming album, 21st Century Drone, which was mixed and mastered by Jim Diamond of Ghetto Recorders fame (White Stripes, Dirtbombs, The Sonics).

3ft got their name from the pool depth markers you often see at public swimming pools. The 3ft label on the deck of a pool is not where you dive in, it’s a warning of where not to dive in. But this isn’t the case for how you should approach their music. They encourage you to dive into the shallow end, feel the things that hurt, and maybe find some depth where you didn’t expect to find it.      

3ft has been around a block or two in order to become the band they are today. Dean Marlo (guitar, vocals) and Christopher Dion (guitar) have played in multiple bands together, each experimental at its core, linked by improvisation and coincidence as the inspiration for songwriting.

Daniel Kanka (drums) and Dean met during a record-breaking blizzard in the historical, now college-hipster, neighborhood of Woodbridge, Detroit. This chance meeting, along with Christopher and Dean’s musical connection led to the auspicious formation of 3ft. The 3 connected in a series of telepathically-threaded musical improvisations and the band was formed.

Quickly thereafter, 3ft started playing local shows which led to material that would make up their self-titled debut record, released in 2012. This came about after being approached at a live show by producer, engineer Christopher Koltay (Deerhunter, Mdou Moctar, Shigeto) of High Bias Recordings, Detroit.

Fast forward a couple of years and John Butts (guitar, Farfisa) entered the scene after being impressed by 3ft at a local Psych Fest. This inspired him to release a 7” single for 3ft (Your Death b/w Underground) on Harmony 1, a boutique label he had recently created. As they continued to hang out together, the band developed a solid friendship with John and later discovered he played guitar. With some late-night improv sessions together, the extra dimension was undeniable and he became a member of the band.

With new material mounting, the band decided it was time to record a follow-up. They retreated to Benton Harbor, MI to record with Bill Skibbe (Jack White, The Kills, Protomartyr, Blonde Redhead) at Key Club Recordings. The sessions with Skibbe were swift and inspiring, encouraging various sonic textures, mosaic arrangements and multi-instrumentation that shaped the record. 21st Century Drone was mixed and mastered by Jim Diamond of Ghetto Recorders fame (White Stripes, Dirtbombs, The Sonics).

With a new record in the can, they needed a bassist that could fit both sonically and culturally. After a nearly Spinal Tap-esque experience of rotating bass players enter Eric Altesleben (bass). After sharing a bill with Eric’s band, they had a chance run-in with him at a Wooden Shjips show. It was mentioned that 3ft needed a bass player and he quickly offered to play with them, adding the final piece to the puzzle. With the band fully realized and an upcoming record release this Spring, they are very excited to be heading out on tour this Summer.

Their album, 21st Century Drone is scheduled for release May 10th, 2019