The seeds of the Brogan brothers’ music career were planted at a birthday party after a teenaged Connor Brogan was recruited by his friends to perform cover songs in his hometown of Jacksonville, Arkansas. The cover band, discovering their passion for playing live music, swiftly progressed into a legitimate music group: PMToday, a post-punk troupe that released two acclaimed albums in the late 2000s. In its early stages, Connor added his younger brother, Ryan, as the band’s drummer and, eventually, another Brogan brother, Cuinn, joined the group. After their second album, the band dissolved, but the Brogans weren’t finished leaving their mark in the music scene. In 2018, the brothers regrouped, leaving behind the Midwestern grunge aesthetics and hardcore rock of their adolescence in favor of moody atmospheres and electronic textures through the creation of their latest music project: Modeling.
“Our transition sonically was sparked by boredom, and our intrigue of other genres of music really pushed us that way. We got bored of the confines of that genre, and we were very interested in synthesizers, and we wanted to explore that together,” said Connor.
The Fayetteville-based experimental art rock band, which consists of 37-year-old Connor, vocals; 35-year-old Ryan, drums; and 33-year-old Cuinn, synths; is heavily inspired by film scores, citing influences ranging from Jonny Greenwood’s Phantom Thread to John Williams’ E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial to Oneohtrix Point Never’s Good Time, as well as visual art pieces and photographs that have impacted them throughout their own lives. In their work, they hope to create a similar impact for their listeners.
“When you see a good film, it really sticks with you, and you find yourself constantly thinking back on it. We don’t necessarily have a specific thing that we want people to feel when listening to our music, as long as it’s a feeling that they think about later, in that way,” said Connor.
Similar to how these inspirations have had an impact on the evolution of the Brogan brothers, Modeling found its moniker through French poet Michel Houellebecq, who’s use of the word “modeling” in his poetry described how people constantly evolve throughout their lives. For the Brogans, that was both an influence and a core value for Modeling.
“We use this idea philosophically. We are ever-shaping and ever-growing,” said Connor.
This philosophy is evident in the band’s growth. Modeling initially began as what Connor describes as an “art exhibit for museums,” with their shows featuring projected visuals and atmospheric sounds, which were produced solely from laptops. “It looked like we were in class,” joked Cuinn. However, the brothers eventually decided to return to their roots and play their music live, presenting their recordings from their home studio in new ways.
“The nice points in our sets are whenever we’re playing our music that doesn’t sound like a typical song or band that you would hear at a typical show. It’s a unique experience hearing things like that in an environment where you typically hear loud bands…if you can grab someone’s attention with a song like that in that type of environment, then I feel like we're doing something right. It’s a cool feeling,” said Cuinn.
Those familiar with the local music scene are no strangers to Modeling – after all, they are hard to miss. Their energetic live shows are notorious for their flashing strobes, guttural screams, and pounding synths. The band consistently finds themselves playing at local venues and festivals around Northwest Arkansas when they aren’t touring around the MIdwest.
“Fayetteville has a really vibrant music scene, which we’re lucky to be a part of. Our only complaint is there aren’t enough music venues!” said Cuinn.
As the band progresses, new ideas are constantly being pitched regarding instrument arrangements, approaches to creating a new song, and how the brothers utilize their social media presence.
“The project feels more collaborative now. It used to be us mostly writing in separate rooms, and now we’re discussing and working on ideas together daily. We’re also focusing on bringing the guitar back into our music, which at the genesis of Modeling, was almost vetoed,” said Ryan.
Although committed to evolution, the band’s sonic creations are rooted in common themes: alienation, isolation, and longing for a time that’s either already past – or that they were never even a part of to begin with, according to the Brogans.
These themes are clearly reflected in Modeling’s current music catalog. In the band’s first year together, the brothers released two EPs and in 2022, their debut album, Somewhere Before. The synth-heavy project features emotion-striking lyrics like “Lodestone’s,” “A dream can last forever here / but forever ends somewhere,” or “In Creases,’” “Now I see / I’ve already missed it / Now that I feel it / The feeling has ended.”
These lyrics have a universal sense of relativity, making the message behind the songs applicable to whoever may be listening – but, at the end of the day, the Brogans have one true audience: themselves.
“We’ve learned over the past two or three years to be okay with who we are as people. We’ve tried so many things, and we’ve accepted what we like. Modeling is our own way of expressing our true selves,” said Connor.
Although the “feeling has ended,” Modeling is far from over. In fact, the band is gearing up to launch new music this summer. Check out their work wherever you stream music, look out for their live shows around the area, and keep up with the band on Instagram at @modelingmusic.