INTRO BY MELISSA TUCKER
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO COURTESY OF BREAK OUT DAY
The latest pop punk band to watch out for is Break Out Day. Their latest EP, “Echoes of the Past”, dropped this year and each song remains true to the core sound of their genre. Starting out as high school freshman wanting to make music, Andrew and Jason of Break Out Day are now full-time musicians and have finally made their dream into a reality. From writing music to going on tour, Break Out Day has been hustling to become America’s hottest pop punk band. Unclear Magazine got the chance to interview the band and get exclusive details on how the band started, their music process, and where they see themselves in 2018.
When did you guys first bring the band together and how did the whole concept of making a band come about?
BREAK OUT DAY: "Andrew and Jason decided they wanted to be in a band as freshman in high school, but it took a couple of years before they started demoing songs they had written. The band got more serious over time and they had a demo EP finished before our freshman year of college. Perry joined in the Spring of 2013 and a lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist was also added before hitting the studio to record the debut EP 'The Nights That Made It.' After its release that September, the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist had left the band and a search for a new frontman had begun. Perry eventually recommended Brandon, who he had met while attending Syracuse University. Brandon officially joined in November 2016 after having moved to New York all the way from Wisconsin. It wasn’t the most simple process of putting a band together, but it all worked out."
For those who don’t know you yet, what would you tell them about your music as a bit of an introduction?
BREAK OUT DAY: "We’d say that our music is a blend of all of the bands that influence us, but there’s definitely a unique voice behind each song. All four of us are capable songwriters and you can definitely hear how certain influences are more prominent in songs, but yet everything still fits within the Break Out Day sound."
You recently released your new EP titled “Echoes of the Past” – can you tell us a little about the process creating it?
BREAK OUT DAY: "After Brandon joined, we played a lot of shows all over the Tri-State Area in order to gel as a band, develop our chemistry, and to continue support of our first EP. After months of playing shows, we felt we were ready to start working on the next EP. The writing for this EP was the first time the four of us were able to collaborate musically and lyrically and it definitely brought new elements to the music. We knew going into the writing process that we were looking to write three new songs and do an acoustic version of an older song. The first song we wrote was 'The Party’s Over'. Andrew and Jason wrote the intro to that song back in 2014 and slowly developed it with Perry over time. That song took shape instrumentally pretty fast as we all worked on it and Jason wrote the lyrics. We recorded this song to be the single for the EP in April 2017 and released it that summer. 'Deleted Imagery' was a song Brandon had written and it was about 90% complete when he showed it to the band. The four of us were able to work out ideas for parts and finish the song pretty quickly. 'One More Night' was the last song we wrote and we started working on it after Andrew wrote the main bass line and while Perry created a rhythm around it. Writing this song was difficult at times and went through a lot of lyric/melody ideas. We always saw the potential in this song and felt like it would be a huge step forward for us to have it on the EP and eventually we were able to work everything out."
Did you come across any bumps in the road when creating it or did everything go rather smoothly?
BREAK OUT DAY: "We definitely encountered some bumps in the road during the writing process. The four of us collaborating to create the new music was a learning process for everyone involved. When all of us are so passionately involved and care about the music it can create some tension. All bands deal with it. We believe that the push and pull of ideas can lead to bringing out the best in each song, so it’s a matter of growing as a band. That’s what makes the creation of 'Echoes of the Past' special to us."
Where do you find most inspiration when creating music?
BREAK OUT DAY: "Aside from all the bands that have influenced us over time, a lot of inspiration comes from our own personal experiences. Drawing from those experiences and turning them into a story with an overarching theme is where most of our song ideas come from."
Is there anything else we can expect from you soon – maybe shows or music videos?
BREAK OUT DAY: "We have a bunch of shows coming up to support the new EP, including our Official Release Show at Arlene’s Grocery in Manhattan, NY on May 23rd.
Upcoming Shows:
Thu. 05/10/18 - Amityville Music Hall (Amityville, LI)
Wed. 05/23/18 - Arlene’s Grocery (Manhattan, NY) - EP Release Show
We are also planning on creating another music video, or even two, down the line."