INTERVIEW BY VIVIAN HUA AND TRASK COLBY.
Can you tell us a little bit about your new album?
Teppei: It’s definitely different from the last one. For one, we worked with a different producer. We worked with a guy named Steve Osbourne who is a Brit dude. He’s done a lot of Brit-pop type and electronic stuff.

Did you guys throw any electronic stuff into it?
Teppei: Yeah, actually, a little bit. We thought it would be cool to work with someone who came from a different place than us. He has a totally different musical background.
Dustin: It’s a lot more dynamic and also we used a lot of different instrumentation. A lot of piano.

So is it softer this time?
Dustin: Nahhh…
Teppei: Barely.
Dustin: There’s more background stuff. It’s broader this time.

Would you guys consider yourselves a post-hardcore band?
Dustin: I don’t know what we are. Genres are inevitable, but we definitely don’t limit ourselves to hardcore, post-harcore, etc.

Did working with a new producer offer you guys new advice?
Teppei: He definitely concentrated on vibes a lot which I think we really haven’t had before. We actually recorded a lot of songs live where we all played together instead of when you usually record, how you have the drums, bass, guitar, vocals.
Dustin: And also we don’t have to worry about getting each step just right.

Don’t you play with more energy too?
Dustin: Yeah. An interesting thing happens. One, being in the room with the drums really helps you feel the guitar. And also, the little inconsistencies make it sound good. It sounds more real.
Teppei: Totally. You just can’t recreate the feeling when you’re playing by yourself. That’s something we really wanted – to have a lot of feel, and we really captured a cool vibe on the record.

I have some friends in a band who really look up to you guys, and they’re a post-hardcore band. What advice would you give them?
Dustin: I’d say, just do what you love.
Teppei: Yeah.

The drummer in the band always talks about how he feels like hardcore is going dead, despite the fact that bands like you guys are getting ever more popular.
Dustin: Well I’d say if he thinks it’s dead, then he shouldn’t be in the band. Yeah, you just have to play music because you love doing it.
Teppei: I feel like lately there’s kind of a string where music isn’t about the music anymore, but more about a scene or a certain style or whatever. It’s not about that, and I just hope that people can really hold onto what really matters, which is the music. If you’re playing in a band, do it for the right reasons.
Dustin: And if he thinks right about it dying, then that’s good because it’s probably something stale that’s dying, and I would respond with, “Let it die.” I guess it’s like watching an empire at the height of its opulence just feeding on itself and collapsing, and having something be born out of it. It’s definitely getting close. So over-saturated. Everything is exactly the same. Everything is homogenized.

Through the years, have you guys seen a shift in your fanbase?
Teppei: Not really.
Dustin: It’s always been kind of broad. I think it’s only going to get broader with this next album, Vheissu.

What does that mean?
Dustin: It’s the name of a place in a book by Thomas Pynchon. We wanted something that was one word and something that wouldn’t stereotype our record before it comes out.
Teppei: For a lot of people, that word doesn’t carry any meaning.

Are you hoping your record will give it meaning?
Dustin: That’s what we’re hoping.


Go to thrice.net to hear their new album!