Lycia
Fifth Sun
"For me," Mike VanPortfleet recalls, "Fifth Sun was a merging of my early 80s post-punk roots and Taras late 80s/early 90s Lush/Curve/Cranes/Cure influences. I also see it as Lycias second eras Wake. something that followed a long period of inactivity or unfulfilled ideas and some-thing that preceded a more realized period to come. I also see it as a sister release to Estrella, though obviously guitar oriented instead." "For most of the 00s, I really struggled with my confidence as writer, engineer, musician and vocalist," Mike continues. After releasing very little music during that period, "In the summer of 2009 I decided to start working on new material again. I wasnt sure if it was going to be Lycia or not, and I wasnt sure if I would ever even release it. It was just about creating again and enjoying music again. I wanted to go back to my post-punk roots so I just programmed drums and played guitar and bass. I spent the next half year or so just recording and re-recording, and I didnt involve Tara until all the songs were done. It revived my confidence as a writer, musician and engineer. I was still struggling with my vocals, and I still was in that Estrella-mindset of wanting to be a musician first, and having Tara as the main vocalist. So her involvement started and it officially became a Lycia project."