Take It Back! | Raw and Authentic
his band has been receiving quite a bit of notice over the last year, and with the mid-November release of their sophomore album, Atrocities, they are sure to continue to make their way on to your tour fliers, magazine articles and eventually, if not already, your iPod. Get to know these guys.
Thank you guys for taking some time to answer a few questions for us! We are from out west, and I think readers would be interested, so tell us a bit about the Arkansas scene and what it was like coming up in it.
Nick Thomas: Coming up in the Arkansas scene was really fun. Shows were very diverse. Most shows had just about any style of band you can imagine from pop bands to hardcore and metal bands. Everyone got along really well though so it was a blast.
There are a ton of labels these days, and I could tag you with a bunch of stuff, but how do you most like your sound to be described?
NT: I would say that we are a very melodic hardcore.
What are some of your big influences? Whether music or other?
NT: Musically we are inspired by bands like Verse, Have Heart, and Defeater, but we listen to a very wide variety of music. Kings of Leon is one of our favorite bands to listen to in the van if that gives you an idea.
The new album Atrocities has much more of a produced, epic sound to it than Can’t Fight Robots, is that something you focused on when you went into recording? I think that it really bridges the gap for people who may not be a punk/hardcore fanatic…
NT: Well I might disagree with you on saying the record is a little more produced than Cant Fight Robots. I think that this CD has a little bit more of a raw feeling to it. Going into recording this album, we knew we definitely wanted more of an authentic tone on this record. I do think we were a lot tighter as a band compared to the last CD so that might be what you were hearing.
Ya, that is fair (Laughs). All of your songs carry a message with them, without exception. (I have a lot of respect for that) What are your views on using music as a tool to create and inspire change? Would you even consider making music that was just fun?
NT: I think music is an incredible tool for change. I’ve never quite understood what is was that made you connect to a song but when it happens it can be a very powerful thing. I would definitely create music just for fun, but I don’t see myself dedicating as much time and energy into it as I would with Take It Back!.
Tell us a bit about your time spent on Facedown Records.
NT: We’ve been on Facedown for about two years now and it’s been awesome. Jason and everyone are so willing to help in any way that they can. All the bands are great as well. We’ve become really close friends with a lot of the other bands.
You guys just put out your new record on the 10th of November, what are you up to now?
NT: Well currently we are just sitting at home playing regionally, but after the holiday season we will be touring as much as possible.
We look forward to seeing you guys out this way!
