Conceived in Indianapolis, IN in 2018, Small Words united with the desire to create music that resonates with listeners on a deeply emotional level.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Nick - Vocals
Aaron - Guitar
Zach - Guitar
Daniel - Drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Small Words? How long has the band been around?
Nick: Before Small Words, Zach, Aaron, and I were all in a pop-punk band together called My Sweet Fall! Daniel was touring in the bands All Became New, and Conveyer, but he and Zach also played together back in the day. We've all pretty much been playing music together since 2009-2010ish.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
Nick: Originally this project was called beta, because it started as a solo project for me, and I'm very much not an "alpha". But there's this sick band from Puebla Mexico called BETA, and they RULE.
They are similar-ish to our sound, but they are way more successful, and all of their lyrics are in Spanish. So I threw in the towel, and we changed to Small Words, which is inspired by a lyric from the song Belt, by Say Anything.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Nick: We have really found a pretty incredible flow with our songwriting as a band. We do most of it in the studio together. Everyone brings something special to the process. I'm a little obsessive with the lyrics, so that's kinda where I hyper-fixate. I try to write, and touch on mental health mostly, and how people might cope with their struggles in (usually) destructive ways through outlets, relationships, or their vices, instead of actually addressing, accepting, and improving on those struggles. It's been a relatively non-destructive outlet for us!!
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Nick: We have LOADS of influences. The 1975, The Aces, Alabama Shakes, Anderson .Paak, Ashnikko, Bailey Bryan, Balance and Composure, The Band CAMINO, BENEE, Billie Eilish, Carlie Hanson, Carly Rae Jepson, Cautious Clay, Charli XCX, Citizen, COIN, Dagny, Del Water Gap, Dermont Kennedy, Dijon, Dua Lipa, Earth Wind and Fire, Empress Of, Giveon, Great Good Fine Okay, Haim, Half-alive, H.E.R., The Japanese House, J Cole, Joey Bada$$, Joji, Kendrick Lamar, Khalid, L Devine, Leon Bridges, The Maine, Medium Build, Microwave, Miley Cyrus, MisterWives, Nilufer Yanya, Orion Sun, Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers, Post Malone, PVRIS, Remi Wolf, Ryn Weaver, Silk Sonic, Still Woozy, Teenage Wrist, Turnover, Valley, We the band, Weezer, Wet, The Wldlfe, Young the Giant
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Nick: My first concert was Britney Spears, and I was completely floored as a wee lad. But we all grew up with people who love music, and it was a huge part of how we developed, so when we all met each other, it just made sense to do this together. Its really special to have been playing with these guys for all of our definitive years. We’re a family.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
Daniel: I stretch, especially my wrists and hands, do rudiment warm ups, try to not throw up, and hug all my boys before going on haha.
Nick: I sing Darwin Deez tunes, and it gets my voice READY TO GO!
Zach and Aaron: STRETCH
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Daniel: I’m relatively new to the group but there are shows that stick out to me that mean a lot, s/o the HIFI and Hoosier Dome, but when we dropped our tune Spectrum, that was the first song I did with the guys and that was a huge highlight for me. Helping write it and then recording it, in a new space and new genre with my friends it was an amazing feeling.
Nick: Biggest highlight so far for me is taking the DIY approach in 2020, I feel that we have something so special here, and I can't wait to see where it all takes us. We get better and better with every new song, and there's no better feeling than that.
Zach: My biggest highlights are all the cool moments where we’ve been at studios with producers we never thought we’d work with and all the times we’ve got to spend playing music in new cities with my best friends.
Aaron: For me personally a big highlight was finishing our full length album. It's such a huge mountain to climb one step at time, but finally releasing it and having it forever to show for the hard work we did ourselves feels like an accomplishment I'll always cherish. And its only the beginning because we have so much more to give!
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Honestly, any of the bands from our influences would be LIFECHANGING. We love it all, and it would be the coolest thing ever to get to jam out to your influences every night.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Nick: Thank you, Kill The Music for having us, and for highlighting us unsigned folks. It means a ton to get to answer questions about our music. Our new tune, “Talk” is coming out June 23rd, and we are trying to put out as many new singles as possible this year. I'm hoping we get to chat again sometime in the future! Much love to you all!