Album Review: Give In by On an On

The remaining three members of indie band Scattered Trees found themselves with booked studio time and no band. Or at least, a diminished one. Two members of the five had split and Nate Eiesland, Alissa Ricci, and Ryne Estwing had to decide what to do when they got in the studio with Broken Social Scene producer Dave Newfeld. As bleak as it may sound– a skeleton crew of a once lauded band trying to pull something together in three weeks– what surfaced is yet another reason why we’re hardwired to chase second chances.

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Having an ace producer in the control room can go a long way towards making your sound seem much bigger and cavernous than just the sound of a few people playing together. In the case of the Chicago and Minneapolis trio On An On, which formed out of the detritus of a now-defunct band called Scattered Trees, they brought in Dave Newfeld to produce, mix and master their debut album, Give In, and the results are striking. Newfeld, of course, produced Broken Social Scene’s landmark record You Forgot It in People, and if you miss the sound of BSS, which is on indefinite hiatus, you’ll find much to like here.

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ON AN ON sprouted from the spores of Scattered Trees, and the band’s debut album, Give In, speaks of a new-found sense of mobility and a free spirit. For the Chicago trio, comprising Nate Eiesland, Alissa Ricci and Ryne Estwing, its haunting yet beautifully bare album is a textural journey over new terrain, armed with a jolt of creative energy from producer Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Super Fury Animals, We Are Augustines). Give In ascends from lands familiar to the band’s members, but this time they’re seen through a more epic vision.The first offering, “Ghosts,” is a luscious fantasy anthem based on the idea of a deeper death than the physical and the sadness of being forgotten.

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