We got the chance to chat with up-and-coming alt group The Pressure Kids! They have a brand new EP dropping on December 6 that we're extremely excited about. Check out our interview with the group!
1. How did you come to pursue music and how long have you been at it?
"The band formed in 2013, our first semester at college. We attended this school in Nashville that is known for its eclectic music programs, all of us played music in some capacity growing up. There was this crazy and kinetic energy those first few months, everyone would keep their dorm room doors open playing, listening, practicing, you would just kind of wander around and find someone to musically connect with. Everyone went into that first fall hungry to find to people to play with. We formed our band then, and, granted a few lineup changes, have been at it ever since."
2. Could you walk us through your process of writing music?
"Our process still looks remarkably similar to when we first started out in those dorm rooms. Ideas begin organically, someone will sketch out some riff or chord progression or drum beat and something will bloom from there. We stretch and tweak and shine songs in different rehearsals, during sound checks. Very rarely do we complete something fully in one session, most of the time songs form over long periods. This gives us some perspective while we are sculpting the song, revisiting and reimagining. We’ve developed an immense amount of artistic trust with one another over these past few years, we allow the space for everyone to contribute how they feel compelled. The process always yields something that is distinctively and wholly us, like it would never happen the way it happened unless it was the five of us in the room together. I’ve never really been interested in bringing songs to the band that are already completed, it is always a far more thrilling and emotionally honest product when you let go of the reins and just sort of let the thing go where it wants to."
3. What artists have inspired you in your career?
"We all have a pretty wide range of influences, but we have a few we all agree on. There are a lot of bands that started in the late 90s / early 2000s that are still active today that we really admire, bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire, Wilco, Broken Social Scene. We gravitate towards bands that have a collective spirit that have been doing it a long, long time."
4. Do you have any favorite music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use?If so, what’s the story on them?
"I’ve got this old Fender Blues Deluxe that’s got this enormous, warm tone that has been a real staple of our sound over the years. I bought it for dirt cheap at this vintage music store back in Seattle where I grew up. Allan, our lead guitarist, plays these really melodic, glassy parts that pair perfectly with the sweet warm mud of the Blues Deluxe."
5. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?
"Some of the best shows I’ve ever seen have been ones where it feels like the audience is made part of the experience, like the magic energy of that one particular evening was harnessed by the band and played like an instrument, where you the audience member feel like you’re somehow involved in the moment rather than just paying for a ticket and passively watching a show. We as a band have always prided ourselves on our live show and have tried to chase that sort of reactive and present posture on stage. We want things to be high energy and dynamic, we like to take people through a vibrant spectrum of feelings."
"And we love a comfortable, quiet green room at a venue. We pour so much of our psychic and emotional energy into our sets, having a cushy spot to bliss out a bit before a show is a real treat."
6. What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music?
"That it exists! Tell your friends!"
7. Can you tell us about the writing, recording, and promotion process for The Pressure Kids: Vol. 2 EP?
"These songs came from the same sessions that produced our first self-titled EP. This batch of songs spans the entire course of our time as a band and was originally intended as an LP, but we decided it might be more interesting to tell that story in two separate parts. Vol. 2 explores some of the more tender, dynamic shades of what we do. It feels appropriate that the EP is coming out in winter, these songs feel darker and more introspective compared to our self-titled. We are tremendously proud of this thing we made together and are very pleased to be able to share it with you."