FinalBossFight! - Sound In The Signals Interview
I recently had the opportunity to interview FinalBossFight!. We discussed their first experience recording in a professional studio, lyrical inspiration, collaborating with PNWK Records, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Thank you for having us!
You have a new album coming out soon. What was the writing and recording process like for the album?
We recorded this album with Billy Mannino out of Two Worlds Recording Studio in Queens. This is the first release of ours recorded in a professional studio and the experience was incredible. With our previous home-produced material, we had the luxury of slowly bringing our song ideas to fruition with little to no timetable. With this new album, the studio time crunch forced us to rely more on our musical intuitions and the end product is more than we ever could have hoped for. Billy is a hero of ours and helped us bridge so many gaps on this album that we wouldn't have been able to catch had we recorded this on our own.
Do you have a favorite studio moment from recording the new album?
Every day was special in its own way but some of the most memorable moments were stumbling upon writing our 6th track on the album “wave goodbye”. In the demo version of our new single “Tight as a Boiled Owl”, you can hear Sage giggle at their voice cracking at the end of the track. Billy took that audio clip and made a beat with it. Joe Rom from Innerlove was there helping out in the studio and laid down a sweet guitar riff to complement the beat. Eventually John found some lyrics he liked in his notes and tracked them in basically one take and it ended up being an interlude that divides the album from the first and last half.
Another great moment was when Billy Mannino taught us how flammable guitar picks are. Spoiler: VERY!
Did you try anything new with your writing this time around?
While some of these songs were brought to the band mostly fully fleshed out, we did try to sit down and collaborate more as a unit when it came to lyrics and song structure. This was especially helpful in deciding on an overall theme for the album as we were able to hone it over the course of a few months.
You recently released the first single, “I Have to Go Now (My Planet Needs Me)”. Can you tell me about writing that song specifically?
The working title of this song was "Weeze" for the longest time, drawing inspiration from Weezer tracks like “Perfect Situation” and “Buddy Holly”. This track is about packing up and leaving a life you've helped destroy, only to find yourself destroying the next ones after that. We get a bit heavier on this song than usual with John adding some much-welcomed crunch to his guitar tones.
The title is a reference to Bill's favorite Simpsons bit.
You also released new song, “Tight as a Boiled Owl”. What can you tell us about it?
The title is an old-fashioned phrase that pretty much just means “incredibly drunk”. The song itself is about self-sabotage, doing all these things that you know are going to put you in your own personal hell but still continuing to do them. I personally never expected to love this song as much as I do now, but Billy Mannino and the rest of the band put their magic into it and now it’s stuck in my head 24/7.
The album is coming out on PNWK. What has it been like working with them?
Working with Rob and Sam has been an absolute pleasure. Their support has been absolutely crucial to the development of our band over the past year. If we were ever lacking in confidence or direction, they would be right there to build us back up and encourage us to dream big. The rest of the bands on the roster are incredible folks as well and it was such a treat being able to hang with them during the PNWK retreat in Cleveland this past August.
Can we expect a physical release of the album such as vinyl, CDs, or cassettes?
Yes!
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you want to add?
Free Palestine. F*** ICE.
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