Makeout - Sound In The Signals Interview
I recently had the opportunity to interview Tyler and Kyle from Makeout. We discussed what the new members bring to the band, their new song, “Home”, filming a music video during quarantine, what’s next for the band, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Tyler: Hey, no problem! Thanks for us having us.
You just released your new song “Home” with your new vocalist Kyle Dee. What has it been like having Kyle in the band and what has he brought to the new songs?
Tyler: Kyle has been a great addition to the band! We knew he’d be a good fit when he auditioned with our song ‘Childish,’ which is definitely one of our hardest songs to sing, and he nailed it! Besides being a great singer, he also rips on guitar and is great at working with lyrics and making them sing better. The writing process for Home was so quick and easy, I think we spent a total of about 4 hours getting the song about 90% finished, and it felt very natural to work together.
You have also added new bassist, Aj Khah. How did it influence songwriting for your upcoming EP having added a couple new members?
Tyler: AJ has been a great addition too because it’s always nice having other people’s perspective to help shape a song. He was in another band for a long time, so he’s been around the block and has a different way of looking at things based on his experience. I think everything came together really nicely and we’re excited to share some of the other songs we put together!
You worked with Jayden Seeley (With Confidence) and Travis Barker (blink-182) on “Home”. How did it work out for you to work with them? What do you think they brought to the music?
Kyle: We flew out to Pennsylvania to write with our manager Matt and once we realized that the songs were becoming something special, Matt hopped in and produced them. He brought Travis and Matt Malpass in to help, which was great. Travis helped out on our first record, The Good Life, as well, so he knows the direction for our band. And with Jayden, we’ve known him and the With Con guys for awhile. We were out one night together in LA and randomly decided to get together the next morning for a session, where we ended up writing “Home” in a couple hours. Everyone brought their expertise to these songs to make them what they are.
You discussed working on the video while being quarantined and trying to film while socially distancing. Can you tell me a little about the process of putting the video together?
Kyle: Yeah, it was wild because we all live in different areas - our drummer Scott lives in Australia, Tyler lives in LA and then AJ and I live in Chicago. So we weren’t able to be in the same room together, which forced us to think outside the box. It really came together when the idea to have the band being projected onto the wall behind me came about. So we got an old 8mm camera, had the guys film themselves performing, then I flew to LA and filmed my scenes in an empty house. It was a very small crew and I was the only one allowed on set without a mask, and that was only while I was singing. Our director Kyle Cogan and his team at Simian Design really brought it to life, and the circumstances made it a video we’ll always remember.
What can fans expect from this new era of the band? What do you think will be the same and what are some of the changes you’re excited about?
Kyle: We realize that the only reason we’re still able to keep this band moving is because of our fans. We’ve had countless setbacks, but we’re so excited to show everyone that we’re still here. We’re going to bring the same energy and the same elements that our fans have always enjoyed about MAKEOUT, but the biggest change moving forward is that we now have the freedom to do things the way that we want to. We couldn’t be more stoked about the future.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
Kyle: Of course, thanks again for having us. And a big thank you to everyone that’s stuck with us. We have a lot of new music coming out and we’ll be getting back on the road as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing all of you.
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