Aussie Pop Punk band, Skyway, will be releasing their debut full-length, Finders Keepers, on the 12th of August on Takedown Records. The band recently launched pre-orders for the record and also premiered You Promised Me The World, But Brought Me An Atlas On Triple J's Short.Fast.Loud. I Recently caught up with drummer Ben Hallett to discuss the release.
To start off with, tell us a little bit about Finders Keepers, the idea behind it, the meaning of its content, and the reason behind the name.
Ben: Well Finders Keepers is the product of about 10 months of blood, sweat, tears and beers (for most of us) and on 12th of August it will be finally out of our hands and out in the open for criticism.
The majority of it is fast, loud and in your face, however it's also a lot more diverse than anything we've done before.
Dan is the main contributor lyrically but I guess for me Finders Keepers is about picking yourself up off the ground, taking control of your life and putting your best foot forward.
From what I have heard so far, from the single Birthdays (Are For Sluts And Losers), it is a step up from the earlier releases. Both technically and in a more catchy sense. Do you think the past few years of touring and recording extensively has shaped it in that way, or are you guys still the same fun-loving, catchy as hell Pop Punk band that you started off as?
Ben: It's definitely a big step up for us in a number of ways, musically, lyrically and definitely production-wise. We're still all about making our songs fun though but I think we've more solidly established our own way of doing it. Wow that wasn't a very fun answer, haha should have left it as hell yeah dude!
Awesome. You just got off an Australian tour with Tonight Alive. How did that all go? Any crazy tour stories?
Ben: Yeah man, was rad ay, stoked to tour with those kids again. We brought along our swag, bear-like, shameless mate Rupert Muir as our merch dude but he became more of a mosh pit initiator and he was definitely a highlight for me. He went to stage dive at one of the Sydney shows, tripped and collapsed about 3 rows of 13 year-old TA fan girls! We almost had to stop mid song because we were laughing too hard. I think the girls mostly survived so it was alright to laugh... There were also some interestingly close calls with the authorities which we should probably keep on the down low for a while, haha.
Haha! Speaking of tours, are you guys stoked for the Fuck The Reaper tour with The Amity Affliction and Asking Alexandria? Or are you afraid you might get a negative reception like The Wonder Years did at certain shows on the Mix 'N Mash tour, being the only Pop Punk band with A bunch of really heavy ones?
Ben: Yeah man, we're over the moon! Amity has been talking about taking us out on the road with them for ages now, stoked that it's finally come around. We're not worried at all ay. We've been getting sandwiched between heavy hitters since our very first show and we've never had too much heckling. We always keep a few Hatebreed and Terror riffs up our sleeves just in case, anyway.
That's the attitude to have! What can fans expect from the rest of Finders Keepers? Are any more singles coming out before the release?
Ben: All I can say is that I don't think it's what people are expecting from us, we go heavier, softer, faster and slower than anything we've released to date. In terms of anymore songs getting pre-released before the album I think the track You Promised The World, But Brought Me An Atlas is coming out on the 3rd which I'm stoked about! It's the track featuring Winston McCall (Parkway Drive) and is actually the first song I've written lyrically that didn't get rejected haha. It's also by far the heaviest song we've made yet... kind of unavoidable with Winston on there, haha.
What are the band's plans for after the release?
Ben: After the release we've got a few album release shows we're about to announce, then the Fuck The Reaper tour, then we'll go on an album tour and then we'll have to see after that, we're hoping to get back overseas early next year.
Finally, if you could sum the new album up in one word, what would it be?
Ben: Haha uhhhhhhhhhh, shredical. It's a word... look it up.
Exclusive: Life On The Sideline EP announcement, music video premiere
Since releasing Honesty Is A Dying Breed two years ago, Life On The Sideline has remained active on the road and is now ready to unveil its upcoming EP, Never Settle. To kick things off, we're premiering the music video for the band's new single, "Echo", which tells the sad story of a young girl reminiscing times spent with her deceased partner. While not a pop punk song per se, it's as catchy as one with an infectious chorus that you'll inevitably get stuck in your head. The band's sound could be compared to that of Transit's and The Early November's. Fans can pre-order the EP on iTunes and CD here, before it's released on June 7th. […]
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Exclusive: Skyway Interview
Tags: * Skyway, ^Callum Cramp (I), ||Australia, Exclusive, Interview, News
