Brothers Andrew Moser and Wyatt Moser are doing things their own way.

A throwback to 1960s pop, the young musicians, with Andrew being 22 and Wyatt 19, recently released their debut LP, Autumn’s Reflection, recorded with Jason Davis at Off the Cuff Recording Studio.

“We told (Davis), we don’t want to feel like we’ve compromised at any moment. Cost and time are no problem,” Andrew said. “We want to be proud of this product we’ve put out. I feel like he did a good job of helping us accomplish that.”

Getting into the studio when time and money allowed, they began recording in January 2023, finishing in September. 

In the end, they say 45 days and 400 hours were spent in the studio, creating something they’re very proud of.

“Better than I think we thought it ever would be,” Wyatt said.

“The whole theme of the album is the music that inspired us,” Andrew said. “Even lyrically, we’re throwing nods to other people and a lot of it is about nostalgia. We’re trying to find our own way with influences from like (Burt) Bacharach.

“It’s a story of being young and thinking back to being a kid,” he added. “Sure, some of it wasn’t so happy, but it was a bit simpler then.”

Speed bumps along the way

The duo got a taste for the ’60s pop sound while growing up in Ligonier.

“I’d say we got influences from our parents a lot,” Andrew said. “That started things off, then influenced by people that we grew up learning music from.”

Each got their start playing piano, and it was actually the younger Wyatt that took up the guitar first. A month later, Andrew got himself a bass guitar.

“I had to debate, and figured, ‘Well, I’ll just be the bass player, so we’ll always have a team,’ ” Andrew said. “He’d go to lessons, and I’d learn to play guitar off of him.”

As they honed their crafts, they’d play open mic nights around Warsaw. 

Admitting they were too scared to actually sing, they got a helpful budge from a friend, Elizabeth Mattia, and went on to form a band that played graduation parties and private events.

They eventually learned about Sweetwater Sound programs like Rock Camp and Build a Band. 

As they continued to practice, they hit a roadblock when venues shut down amid the pandemic.

Instead of sitting around and waiting for something to happen, they got creative.

“We’d put on our own shows at our farm,” Andrew said. “We’d get this trailer from a friend of ours, set up, and make an expansive area. We’d just play live shows for free, and that really helped with our practice and vision.”

They put other bands on the bill and patrons had the freedom to remain spread out and tailgate, with Andrew saying about 100 people would show up from Warsaw, Goshen, and Fort Wayne.

The band continued to play around the area. 

With a large collection of songs that had accumulated amid the pandemic, they cut their debut EP, Follow the Sunshine, with Davis at Off the Cuff in the summer of 2022.

“The EP was kind of testing out how we liked recording with Jason,” Andrew said. “Then, we were like, ‘I think this guy can see our vision.’ ”

However, after recording the three-song EP, things went into flux a bit.

“That was kind of an interesting time because (lead singer Amelia Story) went off to college, and we lost our drummer,” Wyatt said. “So, it was kind of like, ‘Where do we go from here?’ ”

Where they went was right back into the studio.

No rest for the weary

By the time Follow the Sunshine was hitting streaming services in early February 2023, Andrew and Wyatt were back with Davis at Off the Cuff, recording Autumn’s Reflection. 

This time, the two were feeling a bit ambitious and wanted to record a medley: A collection of shorter songs that run seamlessly into a larger concept.

“We came (into the studio) in January with the medley concept,” Andrew said. “We decided to do a medley and put all of our thoughts into that. So, honestly, the B Side, we recorded all of that before the A Side. It was the whole project with Jason. It was incredible what he did for us.

“This medley was no small task,” he added. “It took so long to figure out how we were going to put all these together and make them sound like the gel instead of sounding like we cut corners.”

There were definitely no corners cut. The brothers supplied almost all of the instrumentation, outside of Davis playing drums. 

They also got violinists from PFW, as well as Ed Renz on saxophone, Paul Rowan on trumpet, and Michael Galbraith of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic supplying the French horn.

Unlike their debut, Autumn’s Reflection features the brothers taking over vocals, although Story does make an appearance on the final song, “Help Is on the Way.”

A winning team

The 16-track album is a definite throwback. And just like those ’60s pop songs, the light and airy music masks some darker lyrics, which Wyatt pointed to “Don’t Go Playing” on Follow the Sunshine as a prime example.

“A lot of our music, I’d say, it sounds happy, but lyrically, it’s pretty dark,” Andrew said. “It’s very sunny and stuff, but the words are despair.”

For the most part, Wyatt is the group’s lyricist, while Andrew comes up with the instrumentation.

“We complement each other well because I’d say we excel in opposite musical areas,” Wyatt said. “When it comes to songwriting, I usually have the words and melody in my head. So, normally I can have something, then he can arrange the instrumentation.”

That relationship has produced an album that is different than anything you’ll hear coming from the local scene. 

And although they’re getting right back into the studio, they are booking shows. However, the only one they have locked in for now is Friday, March 15, at The Ruin with the funk band The Erly out of Niles, Michigan.

Until that time, these two are sure to be working on making their sound even better.

“Music is like most stuff, where you’re either content at a certain point or you keep searching and wanting to get better,” Wyatt said. “That’s kind of where we’ve been for a long time.”