Music for the mind and the soul

By Soncirey Mitchell

Their newest album
de bouquet ok. Courtesy photo.

Reader Staff

Heat Speak band members. Courtesy photo.

The band Heat Speak has its roots in Spokane, where founder and lead singer-songwriter Dario Ré began collaborating with a number of area performers to produce innovative, genre-bending music. Their newest album, de bouquet ok, drops on Friday, Jan. 12, bringing an end to nearly a year’s worth of constant collaboration.

“This time of year there’s a lot of room for change. Releasing the album at this time just parallels that shift in energy,” said Ré. 

Though this is the first time Ré has recorded the songs on de bouquet ok, the album is an amalgamation of years of ideas — one track dates back to 2010, while another was written a week before being recorded.

“I’ve been kind of slow-releasing this album to friends and family, and the feedback I’ve gotten is that we leaned more into the ‘rock band’ sound,” said Ré. 

He believes that listening to the album as a whole takes the audience on a journey, but those who prefer creating playlists will discover that the songs run the gamut from ethereal to fast and driven — something for every mood.

“My impression of this album is that it’s very sonically explorative. There’s a lot of texture and a lot of depth. It’s very transportive and it gets me floating,” he said.

de bouquet ok sprung from a unique partnership between Heat Speak’s 12 musicians and the Spokane Public Library-Central Branch, which provided the recording facilities and equipment. In exchange for 40 hours in their studio, Heat Speak agreed to put in 40 hours of volunteer work for the library. The Central Branch will also host de bouquet ok’s inaugural performance on Friday, Jan. 12.

“I look at limitations as inspiring methods. For this album, the week in the studio at the library was the parameter that made it come to life,” Ré told the Reader.

The library wasn’t the only new collaborator; this is the first album not to feature Ré’s art. Spokane artist Oana Barac-Matei painted the titular bouquet, never imagining it would be an album cover.

“The artwork by Oana Barac-Matei was already hanging in my house, and one day I looked at it and the album cover became clear to me. There was an element to it that spoke to all the players,” said Ré. With Barac-Matei’s permission, her work not only took center stage, but inspired the name de bouquet ok.

“I’ve always loved collaboration and that’s a huge part of why I love music, as opposed to my other artforms like painting, which are more solitary,” said Ré.

Now based in Sandpoint, Ré plays locally as a solo artist or with a rotating cast of musicians. He and Heat Speak have released a combined three albums in the last four years and have toured the West Coast for the past two — no easy feat. To recharge after years of diligent work and take time to focus on other projects, the band will not tour this season.

Before they take a well-deserved break, don’t miss their performances at their upcoming album release parties on Friday, Jan. 12 in Spokane (906 W. Main Ave.) with Traesti Darling and Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Heartwood Center in Sandpoint (615 Oak St.) with the band Mama Llama. For more information, or to listen to Heat Speak and Ré’s discographies, visit dariore.com.