A new single from Juice Falls takes on an alt-rock form but with plenty of punk edge and a ton of cinematic and driving hear, a heavy-handed set of killer changes, guitar and vocal hooks, and a massive feel.
"Crash Bash" features some outstanding melodic vocal harmonies, a vast soundscape, touches of ambient undertones, and this sort of emotional backbone that the song was built from.
You get a great pop-punk sound here with layers of guitars and songwriting that lets the song breathe and build from calm into explosions of anthemic rock.
This was impactful, youthful, energetic, and had this genuine feel to it that made it so damn good.
The band shines with presence and character and you can tell they put everything into this track.
This is something you can relate to and feel from. It makes you think. It's amazing to have songs that can do that.
These guys have loads of drive and a true love for their craft and you can hear that with every note.
With the release of such an awesome single, we wanted to touch base with Juice Falls to find out where it actually came from.
Here's what went down.
Buzz Slayers: Let's kick things off with the single "Crash Bash". This one has a heavy but melodic feel to it. Where did this track come from?
[Brady] “Instrumentally it came from my love of old nu metal and post rock style songs and wanting to blend them with more modern sounds from bands like Turnstile and Drug Church. High energy big parts at the front with smaller, more open and heavy parts in between carrying you through. Vocally that’s all Jay and Bern”
[Bern] “I had the first verse written for a while on my phone and I had been tweaking with the lyrics just waiting for one of us to write the right song, and Brady did just that. The lyrics dropped in perfectly and the melody came pretty naturally. Jay and I wrote the rest together and focused on keeping that high energy and reckless love sort of feel.”
[Jay] “Yeah Bern and Brady did most of the leg work on this one, I really only wrote the chorus at the end. We had been struggling to figure out how to end the song after the two verses, and after a while I started hearing a melody in my head that turned into the ending chorus. I dropped in a few unused lyrics that Bern had written, and filled in the gaps with some lyrics of my own. We work together on all of our songs, but this one was one of our most collaborative by far.”
Buzz Slayers: So, when did music start affecting you? When did you know making music was something you wanted to be doing?
[Brady] “I’ve had a love for music my whole life so it affected me from a very young age. At 15 was when I started playing guitar and wanted to actually start pursuing music and creating something.”
[Bern] “I’ve been around music as long as I can remember. My father is a professional musician, and there were always instruments in the house for me to explore. My mother expanded my music range by introducing me to bands and artists such as The Police and Bob Marley. I know from an early age I wanted to be part of music and play it live.”
[John] “Music is all I’ve ever wanted to do with my dumb stupid life. Ever since starting to play drums at 2 years old, it’s the only thing I’ve ever put work into.”
[Jay] “Like the others, music has always been my first passion for as long as I can remember. My dad had a few old guitars in our attic, and by the time I was 4 I was spending all day aimlessly strumming along to my mom’s Billy Joel and Randy Travis CDs. I started my first band before I even learned how to play guitar, and I’ve been chasing that ever since.”
Buzz Slayers: What inspires you guys to write a song?
[Brady] “Life inspires me as well as the drive to create something with music being my outlet.”
[Bern] “It can sometimes be a very direct response to something happening in my life that I want to talk and write about, and other times it’s just one of us coming up with the right riff that inspires and gets us grooving.”
[John] “Lyrics aren’t my responsibility, I just hit the drums. Usually I will see some drummer do something cool and I’ll recreate it and make it my own (shoutout Brandon Blakeley).”
[Jay] “For me I just chase the sounds I hear in my head and try to recreate them (I know that makes me sound a little crazy haha). I’m constantly thinking of melodies, chord progressions, and lyrics - most of them suck and never come to fruition. But I always have music playing in my head. When I think of a melody I like, I put words to it; when I think of a riff I like, I figure it out on guitar. When Bern or Brady come to me with a song idea, I just replay it in my head over and over until I think of cool ways to add to it.”
Buzz Slayers: This track has some great styles! Can you all give us some of your top musical influences?
[Bern] “Third Eye Blind is always one of my top influences. Lately I’d say, Turnover and Death Cab as well. I love the vocal delivery, energy, and production on a lot of 90s hip/hop records as well.”
[John] “90’s alt/grunge, Helmet, Hum, Bush, Foo Fighters. Indie emo keeps me modern :)”
[Brady] “nu metal/post rock/alt/pop/grunge/pretty much everything”
[Jay] “For this song - specifically the ending chorus - I’d say Bayside was one of my biggest influences. The lead part at the end as well as the chord progression was very much influenced by their guitar work. In general, some of my biggest musical influences for my writing are Mayday Parade, The Wonder Years, Turnover, etc.”
Buzz Slayers: What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
[John] “GAMING n hangin with my wife and cat :)
[Brady] “Living life on hard mode”
[Bern] “Trying to hike more, writing random shorts and music videos.”
[Jay] “Cooking, hanging with my wife, chilling with my three cats, and starting a tutoring business with Bern.”
Buzz Slayers: Who's in all your headphones right now?
[Brady] “Turnover, Bilmuri, Joji, Polyphia”
[Bern] “Day Wave, No Pressure, GZA, Alvvays”
[John] “Elephant Jake, Marcy Playground, Tribe Called Quest”
[Jay] “Japanese Breakfast, Heart Attack Man, Soccer Mommy, Christian Lee Hutson”
Buzz Slayers: Are you guys doing any live performances right now?
[Jay] “Oh yeah, we’re always working on booking more shows. This year we’ve played with some great acts like Overgrow, Citizen, and Gulfer. We’re working on booking a string of shows with Summerbruise this fall, and we’re playing with Real Friends when the come to Indy in September!”
Buzz Slayers: This single feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming bands out there?
[Bern] “Music is a constant grind and it takes years to become an overnight success. Keep doing what you love and making the content you like. Regardless of the opinions of others”
[John] “Trying and failing is way better than turning 50 and wishing you tried 30 years ago.”
[Jay] “Just keep at it and make music that makes you happy. For recording, finding a good recording engineer/producer is the big hurdle - once you find someone that understands your vision just make your music and get it out to as many people as possible!”
Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you guys in the near future?
[Bern] “More music, shows, music videos, all of the above. Trying to push ourselves more and get into more people’s music lives.”
[Jay] “We’ve got lots of new music in the works, and new videos to make. We’ll keep pumping out content and playing as many shows as possible - you’ll see us around!”
Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
[John] “Thanks, love u :) stick around, there’s more where that came from.”
[Jay] “We wouldn’t be anything without the people who listen to and support our music - we love you and thank you!”