University student band No Composure released their first EP titled “Everything Happens” Friday. The indie rock project consists of three of the band’s original songs, and was recorded last fall at Spacebomb Studio in Richmond. The band primarily plays covers, but following positive reception to their original music in a performance at John Paul Jones Arena last spring, No Composure decided to professionally record and publish their own tracks for listeners.
The band started when third-year Commerce student Ayman Haque and third-year College student Lucas Ihnat met in 2023 at a University Records jam session — a gathering where musicians can play together without any pressure — the fall semester of their first year. Both played guitar, and Haque sang lead vocals. They connected over covering British band Radiohead’s music, and the pair started their own band shortly thereafter.
Through the University Records group chat, they found their drummer, third-year College student Elena Heraldo. Ihnat recruited his roommate, third-year College student Liam Mullins to join on bass guitar. The following year, third-year College student Shreyas Agnihotri became their keyboard player to fill out their lineup.
No Composure’s sound blends indie and bedroom pop structure and lyrics with alternative rock rhythms and midwest-emo chord voicings. According to Ihnat and Haque, the band draws inspiration from a range of artists, like Steve Lacy, Boy Pablo, Pinegrove, Title Fight and U2. Since their inception, No Composure have made appearances at a plethora of local venues beyond JPJ — such as the Southern Cafe and Music Hall, Ellie’s Country Club and Crozet Pizza.
The EP offers listeners three songs each with their own distinct styles and themes. “Say What You Mean” is a high-energy alternative rock opener, driven by Heraldo’s dynamic drumming and Mullins’s thumping bass. The song touches on the feeling of being stuck between following your passions or settling for a more traditional and steady career — a common feeling of uncertainty and anxiety among University students. As Haque explained, this feeling is exemplified in the chorus, where Haque sings “I don’t care what you say / You don’t own me anyway / I was waiting for a sign / Just to go back to the stage.”
“I think that [the lyrics] really [echo] the sort of thing we’re kind of going through,” Haque said. “But I think that’s an interesting theme that No Composure has been focusing on a lot, especially translating some of our lived experiences.”
On the second track “Cups and Plates,” Haque sings about the heartbreak of losing someone known very intimately, with lyrics detailing just how close that relationship may have been. The song provides every band member a moment to shine, with Ihnat providing multiple guitar solos, Heraldo opening up the drum kit on the third chorus and Agnihotri adding beautiful keyboard embellishments throughout in addition to his graceful outro.
The final song, “Amy,” is wistful and dreamy, highlighted by Haque’s desperate and pleading vocals over each chorus. Originally written in 2020 by Haque, “Amy” does not reference one person and instead ruminates over his feelings when leaving home for the first time and letting go of his past.
Crafting and playing original music is not something new for Haque and Ihnat, as both have been writing music individually since their high school years. Haque said that even when the band first started, the two of them made original music a priority.
“From the get go, I think especially with me and Lucas, we had this understanding that we wanted to make original music and we wanted us to be taken more seriously as a band,” Haque said.
Like most other student bands, No Composure started off mainly performing covers, but would sprinkle in one or two originals in their sets. Mullins explained how the band’s desire to play original music grew over time.
“Eventually you get to a point where we’re just playing these covers and we had this attitude of wanting to be more than just a cover band,” Mullins said. “I think that attitude really sort of took hold of us midway through first year, definitely into second year.”
The band felt urgency to make their original music available to stream last spring following their win at the University Programs Council’s Battle of the Bands and subsequent opening performance for Springfest at JPJ. After these riveting performances, Ihnat said people began coming up to them asking about their music.
“We played ‘Amy’ at JPJ, and people were like ‘Where can we find this?’ … [And we thought] ‘Oh we need to record this … this is something we care about and some other people care about it,’” Ihnat said.
With funding from the University’s Cavalier Fund, No Composure was able to pay for 20 hours at Spacebomb Studio to fully record all three songs. Before “Everything Happens,” the members had varying degrees of studio experience, creating divergent levels of stress and adaptation throughout the process. In an environment contrasting the usual live performances, the troupe had to reform some of their music accordingly.
According to Mullins, the tracks underwent frequent changes while in-studio. He said that tempo on “Say What You Mean,” for example, was repeatedly readjusted to maintain a specific mood.
“I remember specifically we were getting caught up on a difference of two beats per minute on [Say What You Mean] because we were sure that it would completely change the vibe of it,” Mullins said. “We changed things the day of, and I think it made a difference. We just took that sort of attitude to the studio.”
Now that these originals are released, the band plans on continuing to perform and promote the songs, but also has no intention of slowing down in creating new material. For Mullins, this first EP is only the beginning of No Composure’s journey as a creative band.
“I feel like we’re at a stage where we’ve got so many different directions we could go in,” Mullins said. “And I’m excited to just see what people latch on to and where we could go in the future.”
Read More
On Repeat: Songs for the highs and lows of March Madness
By Alena Touve | YesterdayFor those who remain invested in the Tournament’s outcome, whether or not they are related to the University, these songs embody every emotion that comes from the pursuit of basketball glory.
Laura Vik’s pottery exhibit ‘A Study in Texture’ displays masterful craftsmanship
By Alice Oakey | YesterdayLocal potter Laura Vik has been creating ceramics for almost 20 years, but her latest exhibit “A Study in Texture” is now on display at the C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery on the Downtown Mall.
‘Pep Banned’ documentary preserves the spirit of U.Va.’s pep band
By Victor-Jenay Cortijo Lopez | 3 days agoThe documentary “Pep Banned” — directed by U.Va. Class of 1982 alumnus Chris Farina and former Media Studies professor Bill Reifenberger and executive produced by U.Va. class of 1983 alumnus Ron Culberson — revisits the band's rise and abrupt removal.
