La Dispute recently released a documentary titled Tiny Dots, providing not only a raw insight of how the band came to be but also the recording process of their latest album – 2014’s Rooms of the House. The documentary begins with various interviews with fans, which really highlights just how diverse the La Dispute fanbase is; and how great the power of music is, with its ability to connect individuals, young and old.
Aptly titled, the documentary takes the viewer on a journey; connecting all the tiny dots that have brought La Dispute to where they are at today. The production of the documentary itself is very simple and it is that honest, home video approach that gave the film that little something special. It’s like peering into a window with an outside-looking-in perspective; not necessarily a part of it but still feeling like you’re there experiencing it indirectly as it happens.
The process of writing Rooms of the House wasn’t like anything the band had experienced before. It wasn’t quite as easy for the band to get together to just jam because at that they were all at different stages of their life, and even living in different cities. So for this record, they rented a cabin to lock themselves away and write. While they came in with a couple of ideas, they essentially started from scratch and spent the upcoming four weeks dedicated to creating a new album.
This is a band that’s constantly striving for perfection and will not settle for anything less, so trials like writers block and not feeling completely satisfied with what they had proved to be setbacks in the process. Following the cooperative cabin effort, the band created a private tumblr where they could play off each other’s ideas and create based on inspirations drawn from what fellow band members had created. It was an ongoing process, where a certain lyrical phrase could lead to a riff, and eventually it all resulted in Rooms of the House.
La Dispute has always been about making sure that there’s a strong correlation between their music and the artwork and visuals that go along with it. Bassist Adam Vass has designed all of the band’s merch since joining the band in 2007; ensuring an all-round atmosphere when it comes to any projects they occupy themselves with. This is no different with Tiny Dots – its dark, melancholic colours and various nature scenes, whether in the woods or at the beach; all tie in to the feeling surrounding their album.
This documentary was also filmed during some of guitarist Kevin Whittemore‘s final shows with the band. No matter how cold hearted anyone claims to be, it’s hard not to feel a pang in the chest when fans chant his name at his last show with the band. If that wasn’t heartwarming enough, his speech is an absolute tearjerker that I’m now writing this with teary eyes.
With the multiple fan interviews throughout, its very easy to tell that La Dispute mean a whole lot to such a large number of people. The most heartwarming thing is to see that despite it all, the band are probably some of the most down to earth people you could imagine. It’s in the little things like always being sure to give back to charity or always trying to play all ages shows, or how one time vocalist Jordan Dreyer jumped off stage to hug fans in the audience. It truly is a family.
