Cascadia Supernova

Enumclaw are the buzziest band in the ’90s alternative revival, with the ambition to match.

BY NICK HARLEY

Aramis Johnson is ready for festivals. The Enumclaw frontman and songwriter has noticed the size of the audience growing at his band’s shows, but he’s eager to adapt to bigger stages and audiences that may not be familiar with the Northwest’s buzziest alternative band.

“We still haven’t played enough festivals to grasp it,” Johnson says. “You have to figure out a way to translate what you do to a bigger stage and be able to leave an impression, which in this coming year, I’m excited to have the opportunity to try to get better at.”

That said, Johnson doesn’t count SXSW as one of those opportunities.

“It’s not like a real music festival,” Johnson says. “It’s just like a big week of showcases. It’s not a show. It’s just all these industry folks that get to stand around and decide if you’re gonna be the cool band or not.”

Beyond the band’s accessible hooks, anthemic songs, and heartfelt lyricism, quotes like that are why Enumclaw is getting the “cool band” treatment from music journalists; they’re unafraid to state their ambitions and say what’s on their mind.

The Tacoma, Washington-based band, comprised of Johnson, guitarist Nathan Cornell, drummer LaDaniel

Gipson, and bassist Eli Edwards (Johnson’s younger brother) quickly earned music blog attention by saying they wanted to be as big as Drake and Oasis, and they cheekily included the phrase “Best band since Oasis” on recent merch. The Oasis goalpost is fitting, not just because Johnson and co. have proven adept at delivering Gallagher brother-level pull quotes, but because Enumclaw are trying to create “Wonderwall”-sized smashes.

“There’s a lot of artists that come up now that look cool, and their music sounds cool. But there’s no song,” bemoans Johnson “It’s all production and a vibe. The hooks aren’t there. There are not big songs like there used to be. I want to lead the charge making music that resonates with people.”

Enumclaw certainly are resonating with rock fans. Their 2022 debut LP Save the Baby improved upon their jangly, fuzzed-out 2021 “Jimbo Demo” EP with cathartic, simply-structured songs that are immediate yet convey their working-class background and personal struggles. Johnson’s tunes have an endearing everyman quality, even when he’s pulling from specific personal experience, belied by the fact that Johnson only started playing guitar and writing music in 2019.

Enumclaw find themselves lumped into a burgeoning ’90s alt-rock revival, but the retro signifier is fine by Johnson. “I’m not mad at it. If that helps people get into it, I’m down for it,” he says, pausing before finishing his thought. “I just don’t like being called an emo band. Everything else is fair game.”

Though Enumclaw have the stadium-sized ambitions of those ’90s stalwarts, they still have to live with the realities of being a mid-sized band in 2023. In a post-pandemic world, touring is less lucrative than ever, with many artists going into the red just to reach fans at live gigs. Being able to maintain a life back home while on the road compounds things. There’s also more entertainment competing for people’s attention than ever, and self-promotion is a necessary evil that can distract from the goal of creating music. “Kurt Cobain never had to say ‘link in my bio,’” Johnson laughs.

Trading in mystique to reach a wider audience is something Johnson thinks about often, longing for the days in which artists could feel larger than life simply due to our limited access to them. Trying to decide how often to interact with social media tools like TikTok can be tricky.

“I could make myself look dumb and make a TikTok every day and overexpose myself for no reason,” Johnson says, “when maybe tomorrow, some kid in Iowa makes a TikTok with one of our songs and absolutely changes everything.”

Still, choosing how to promote your buzzy band is a good problem to have. Enumclaw have a slew of U.S. and European shows booked through spring, including stops at London Calling and the U.K.’s Wide Awake Festival, and Johnson is already pulling together the follow-up to Save the Baby How’s it shaping up?

“First and foremost, better songs. Catchier songs. Just turning up the energy a bit more,” Johnson says with excitement in his voice.

His candidness, and Enumclaw’s confidence, suggest that they’ll reach supernova status in no time.