Back in August we featured you on an Unsigned Spotlight, what awesome things have you guys been up to since then?
We’ve been doing a lot actually. The end of 2016 was insanely busy for us. We booked and made it home safely from a short west coast run, played a few shows locally and finalized release plans for our new record. Our main focus was definitely the EP and tying any loose ends attached to it. We took some time off at the end of December to see families and loved ones for the holidays. We definitely weren’t bored, that’s for sure.
With the new year approaching, what you can highlight as some of your proudest accomplishments or fondest memories for 2016?
2016 was so busy for us, in the best way. We wrote and recorded our EP, which was definitely a highlight for us but the earlier part of the year was definitely spent finding our groove. We booked and finished two DIY tours to the east coast and west coast, in the summer and fall, respectively. We spent most of the year as a four piece after the loss of a couple members, so we had some time to get to know each other a little better too.
While you're reflecting on 2016, what were some of your top played albums for this year?
Man, this was a great year for music. While we were recording, brand new re-released the new versions of those demos from 06’ and I was hooked on those for a minute. Even though it was only 3 songs, I listened to them like it was a full length. Death Deserves a Name by Can’t Swim was played endlessly in the van along with the new Cold Collective and Mooseblood records. Our friends in Thieves put out a new record called No Motive that we’ve played to death too.
With the new year approaching, what are some of your goals for 2017?
We honestly just want to tour as much as possible. We’ve already got plans for the spring, that were almost ready to announce and we’ve begun working on something for the summer as well. Also, even with Drag Me Out coming out in January, we’re very ready to start a new record. It’s going to be a busy year.
Your upcoming EP Drag Me Out is set to release on January 26th, a concept album about a personal struggle with mental illness. More people than ever now are trying to reach out and help their audiences deal with their own personal struggles. In what ways do you hope to inspire your audience with your story and with the new album?
For a long time, I felt ashamed of what I had to deal with. I was in high school when I was diagnosed with bi-polar and I knew how judgmental kids my age were so I felt the need to hide it. I had that stigma with me until recently. Maybe if someone in a band that I listened to would have told me that it was okay, I wouldn’t have been so worried about what people thought. So I guess by writing about something so common and misconceived, maybe someone dealing with the same things won’t feel such a disconnect. I just know that if Blink-182 had had a song about bi-polar disorder when I was 17, it would have made me feel a lot less alone.
Aside from the album release do you have anything planned for 2017?
We’ll be releasing the record on 1/26/17 and then hitting the ground running. We’ll be touring as much as we can and writing even more than that. We’re in it for the long haul and we hope that 2017 will reflect that.
Keep an eye out for Drag Me Out, set to release on the 26th of January!
