GUEST DIRECTORS: Before You Get Broken

In the 1990s, Gary Thorstensen held down guitar duties for Seattle’s powerful and noisy TAD (Sub Pop) while Julie D held down guitar duties for the math-groove Chinchilla (Crisis/Revelation) down in San Diego. When their paths finally crossed in Seattle in 2014, the result was a resonance that alluded to their previous work while adding unexpected surprises, such as their shared love of power pop and 60s folk rock. More than a decade later, the results remain similarly powerful and occasionally quirky, but still showcase a palpable melodic focus.

As Guest Directors, along with drummer Rian Turner and bassist Charles Russo, they have continued to expand their chemistry while reinvesting in themselves and embracing their DIY ethic to write, record, release, and perform as much music as possible. 

The band is now celebrating their latest creation, the nine-song Before You Get Broken (Topsy). The album (available on vinyl, CD, and digital/streaming) is the latest in a sizable catalog for a band that started as a side project until it became evident something special was happening.

Like The Pretenders and Blondie before them, Guest Directors belong to a certain “scene” (in their case, shoegaze) while still following inspiration wherever it may lead them, ultimately sounding utterly like themselves in each unique song.

“Meet You on the Land” kicks things off with jangle and delay, telling the tale of a mermaid who’s not interested in giving it all up for her prince. “You Are Never” hits hard with a cool swagger reminiscent of Sonic Youth or Unwound. “Now I Know” introduces a post-punk sound to a song that’s a direct answer to Afghan Whigs’ “Gentlemen,” while “Just Not Today” features the Swervedriver-style dual guitars that Guest Directors are known for.

Increased use of piano on this release gives a warmer sound to slower songs like “So Many Somedays” and “At the Gate.” But the album goes out with a bang in the swirling maelstrom of “What Shapes They Take,” reminding you that this is a band with serious rock – and noise – bonafides.

Overall, Before You Get Broken serves up the entwined guitars, powerful rhythms, thoughtful lyrics, and headphone candy that Guest Directors consistently provide.

Since their debut in 2016, Guest Directors have become known as a powerful live act in the Seattle scene, and have shared bills with many excellent bands, including Ringo Deathstarr, Slow Crush, Deserta, Alain Johannes, Dead Leaf Echo, Love Battery, New Candys, Tallies, and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth. They also co-founded and help run the annual Tremolo:Seattle shoegaze festival, in addition to performing on several of its lineups. 2026 plans include another Tremolo Fest, some regional touring, and the creation of new songs for their next record.

  • TRACK LISTING:
  • Meet You on the Land
  • You Are Never
  • Now I Know
  • Just Not Today
  • So Many Somedays
  • Restore Your Soul
  • Blame Pandora
  • At the Gate
  • What Shapes They Take

All songs clean for FCC airplay

Click here to download cover image
  • RELEASE INFO:
  • Release Date: 05/01/2026
  • Format: Vinyl, CD, digital
  • Recorded and mixed by Robert Cheek at ExEx Audio
  • Aux percussion and additional guitars recorded by Rian Turner
  • Mastered by Eric Broyhill at Broyhill Masters
  • Produced by Guest Directors and Robert Cheek
  • File Under: Indie Rock/Shoegaze
  • Label: Topsy Records
  • Click here for lyric PDF
  • CONTACT:
  • guestdirectors@gmail.com
  • topsyrecords@gmail.com

Press for “Before You Get Broken”

Thoughts Words Action: This full-length record is a shining beacon of the DIY ethic, proving that veteran musicians can continuously reinvest in their craft, expanding their chemistry to fresh, unique, and rich material. Rather than relying on tired indie-rock clichés or vague, meaningless lyricism, Guest Directors dive headfirst into highly thoughtful, deeply engaging themes…… Before You Get Broken is the sound of a band that fully understands their heavy, noisy roots but absolutely refuses to be bound by them.

Mystic Sons: …. shoegaze-adjacent without being genre-bound, melodic without becoming lightweight, and noisy without sacrificing emotional clarity. More than anything, it is music created by artists who understand both the power of volume and the importance of restraint.

Ground Control Magazine: Before You Get Broken proves that it can not only satisfy that audience, it is also capable of winning one of a completely different sort as well. 

Static Sounds Club: Before You Get Broken sounds like a band distilling instinct, memory, friendship and a hard-earned taste into songs that know when to shimmer and when to let the amps do the talking.…Before You Get Broken works because Guest Directors sound comfortable with complexity and generous with melody.

Analogue Trash: Meet You on the Land does not confine its creativity to any one genre, as the vocals find a place between goth and folk, as the band similarly picks swatches of colours from those genres’ sonic palettes. The overall effect is, rather like the lyrics, a siren call that leaves you immersed in the song’s story.

Pitch Perfect: “… where melody carries as much weight as texture… This album lands as something genuine.”

White Light // White Heat: A heady mix of shoegaze and psychedelia, cinematic songwriting prowess and imaginative instrumental proficiency

Obscure Sound: Before You Get Broken captures a vast sonic range that balances ethereal, swirling textures with passionate momentum, offering a collection that feels simultaneously heavy and atmospheric.