Civil Youth are the indie/alt-rock heavy hitters you didn't know you needed. This Philadelphia based act has been vehemently working at taking themselves to the next level, opening for acts such as Twenty-One Pilots and AWOLNATION and recently releasing their third full length album titled Conversations.
We recently caught up with vocalist, Michael Kepko to talk a bit more in depth about their latest album release as well as the music video for their single titled "Dark Debts" (below interview).
Your third full-length album, Conversations has been out for about a month now! How have things been since the release of the album?
Really great! People have been loving the album and we’re actually on tour now as we’re typing this!
What makes Conversations stand out compared to your previous releases?
It’s a more distinguished sound and voice we’ve always wanted. It is the most Civil Youth thing we have out.
What has been the most rewarding part of putting out Conversations thus far?
Just being able to say what I’ve (Mike) been holding back lyrically. It’s just a huge burden that’s been lifted.
Following that, what was the most difficult part of the process?
We didn’t have too many complications tbh. We had all the time in the world and we recorded the recored in my house even. (mike)
The video for your single "Dark Debts" is the first video you have that features the band performing in it, how was that experience for you? What were some challenges you had to overcome to make the final product?
The Dark Debts video was shot with friends so it was really fun and laid beck but being independent, the struggles are finances and locations. Luckily we have contacts who believe in this enough to let us shoot in crazy spots like that hotel we shot in!
What message do you hope that your fans receive from both the video and the album as a whole?
Just because you’re not who you want to be now, you’re forever changing and have full power over everything that you do, physically and mentally.
What do you hope to accomplish with the rest of this year?
Partner with the right people to get us to the next step of our career!