Sailey WilliamsThe XEX team had the privilege to shoot band Neon Trees before their performance at the iconic Central Park Summerstage. Fresh off the release of their latest album, Pop Psychology, the exuberant quartet started the night silhouetted behind a giant white curtain; standing at the top of a set of stairs was Neon Trees frontman Tyler Glenn. As he strutted down the stairs in a bright yellow suit carrying his turquoise and pink polk dot mic stand like a scepter, the crowd knew this was going to be a show overflowing with energy.
Photography JAM SUTTON & SAILEY WILLIAMS
Styling OMAR ALEXANDER
Hair & Makeup LP GIARDINO & AARON @ RYAN DARIUS SALON USING ORIBE
Production Assistant(s) SEAN GRIFFITH . DONOVAN BLYDEN
Tyler immediately captivated the audience with his Jagger-esque dance moves & distinct voice as he belted out the lyrics to “Lessons in Love,” kicking off more than 90 minutes of jaw-dropping showmanship. Band members, drummer Elaine Bradley, guitarist Chris Allen & Bassist Branden Campbell, also gave an equally impressive performance commanding the stage with vibrant outfits in a dazzling and electric display. In between each set Glenn connected with the audience on a personal level by sharing his thoughts on being unique, living life as a newly out gay man and his life experiences that led to his songwriting. During the concert, he explained challenges he faced trying to finding himself through music and how Pop Psychology almost didn’t happen.
After Neon Trees wrapped a support tour with The Offspring in the fall of 2012, Glenn found himself deeply unhappy personally and ready to give up on music altogether. “We hadn’t really slowed down since we put out our first record,” Glenn says of the heady time that followed his forming Neon Trees with guitarist Chris Allen in 2005. (The two were soon joined by bassist Branden Campbell and drummer Elaine Bradley.) “I was discovering who I was on stage, but I had to do it in front of audiences. I realized that I’m pretty outgoing as a performer, but am this really quiet guy off stage. It was like I had to flip a switch. I would tell people from the stage, ‘Be yourself, be happy with who you are,’ which was an honest statement, but I also felt like, ‘How can I say this and look into fans’ eyes and mean it?’”
Purse by PINEDA COVALIN Eyewear by DIESEL (TYLER GLENN) Jacket by VINTAGE PICASSO Pants by VERSACE
(BRANDEN CAMPBELL) Jacket by ANDREW MARC Eyewear by ANDREW MARC
After experiencing something of a breakdown, Glenn decided, with the band’s blessing, to cancel all of Neon Trees’ activities for the remainder of 2012 and see a therapist for the first time. “I began to realize that I’ve always bottled things up,” he says, “and that it’s okay to have freak-outs and moments of anxiety. That it’s better to deal with it and move on. So when I started writing music for the album, all my feelings were coming out in the songs. It felt really good to be honest and open about what I was going through personally, but have the songs still feel very Neon Trees.”
In January 2013, Glenn and long-time friend and songwriting collaborator Tim Pagnotta decamped to Mexico and wrote several songs, including the raucous “Text Me In The Morning,” “I Love You, But I Hate Your Friends,” and “Foolish Behavior.”
After an North American tour with Maroon 5, Glenn and Pagnotta went to Montecito, Calif., for another writing session that resulted in “Sleeping With A Friend” which Tyler describes as (“the sex song I know how to write, because I don’t know how to write S&M club bangers”). They also penned “Teenager In Love,” and the anthemic album opener “Love In the 21st Century,” in which Glenn yearns for a pre-social media connection when he sings, “I don’t believe making out is a dead romance / I miss the days being kids simply holding hands / I’m sick of wondering if you would ever call me back / I check my four different accounts just to end up mad.” “You can hear my frustration with turning 30 and not being totally excited that I’m still single, but also realizing that I had to first own who I am and what I want before I can truly find someone,” he says. “Pop Psychology,” displays Glenn’s personal metamorphosis while staying true to what Neon Trees fan originally fell in love with in albums prior.
The Central Park, Summer stage set ended with their now hit single “Sleeping With a Friend” but not before Tyler Glenn crowd-surfed over hundreds of eager fans, chanting over and over “All My Friends” while passing the vibrant star around from right to the left side of the pit.
Their shows & music are virtually for everyone. “I love the fact that a 40-year-old soccer mom can be as passionate about our music as a 15-year-old Goth kid,” Glenn says. “I want people to feel the album’s hopeful energy and be able to escape for the 35 minutes that they’re listening to it. I want them to have fun, but I also want them to realize that the songs aren’t throwaway pop tunes. Because for me, as much as it is a fun pop record, I think there’s a real sense of inspiration and spirit in the album that I’m thrilled to have captured.” So if you have the chance to catch a Neon Trees performance in your city get your ticket and get ready for lessons in Pop Psychology from one of best bands in modern pop rock!
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