<\/p>\n
Making music is a family affair for\u00a0wife\/husband duo\u00a0Megan Rooney and Jeffrey Albert. Known collectively as Spectator<\/a>, the\u00a0St. Louis act\u00a0raised eyebrows and tapped feet with 2019\u2019s\u00a0Charlie, Baby<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>a record that served as an excellent follow-up to their melodic 2015 release\u00a0The Last Exchange<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and their\u00a0<\/em>2012 debut EP\u00a0In the Brick<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n But then, in an all-too-common refrain for artists active in the year 2020, the pandemic derailed things. As such, it\u2019s been some time since fans were graced with new music from Spectator\u2014but that all changed this week with\u00a0Venus + Jupiter<\/a><\/em>, a double-sided single released on April 3. Born in a time of COVID lockdowns and then shelved for years by circumstance, the pair of new songs represents a triumphant return for an\u00a0act that got derailed right when\u00a0they were\u00a0picking up steam.<\/p>\n Subscribe to the St. Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts, local artists to watch, and more across an eclectic playlist of genres.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We will never send spam or annoying emails. Unsubscribe anytime.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea was to get back into the studio relatively quickly after\u00a0Charlie, Baby<\/em>\u00a0came out, because we had always taken years between recording things,\u201d\u00a0explains guitarist and vocalist Albert.\u00a0\u201cWe got into the studio, and we recorded an early version of this song, \u2018Venus.\u2019 Then the pandemic hit. We had a baby at the time, and then Meg was pregnant, so things got put on hold.\u201d<\/p>\n Albert\u00a0and\u00a0Rooney were both already involved in the city\u2019s music scene when they met and formed Spectator in 2006. Both musicians were\u00a0performing in various capacities around town\u00a0when\u00a0their paths crossed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just started messing around,\u201d\u00a0Albert says.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019d pick up her guitar and I\u2019d start playing, and quickly, we realized that we were putting out a \u2018sound.\u2019 We would piece together ideas and melodies and turn them into songs. Then, we started playing with a couple of musicians we knew. I remember one time we were playing a new song, and somebody said we had that \u2018Megan and Jeff sound.\u2019 It grew out from that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The duo\u2019s new tracks saw a similar creative process. Despite the challenges of lockdown and raising children,\u00a0Rooney and Albert were still playing music and thinking through new material.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were home messing around with the guitar,\u201d Albert says. \u201cI\u2019d be playing the melody, and we\u2019d be singing and coming up with words.\u201d<\/p>\n When the pandemic ended,\u00a0Albert\u00a0and Rooney relished the opportunity to\u00a0seriously\u00a0focus on music\u00a0again.\u00a0But even then, they knew that they needed some limits.<\/p>\nGet a guide to the region\u2019s booming music scene<\/h4>\n