Dive into the adrenaline-fueled world of Cultt of She with their latest release 'Life on Hard Mode,' a sonic journey tackling life's challenges.
1. Life
on Hard Mode" is set to release on February 21st. Can you tell us about
the inspiration behind the song and its connection to the challenges of life?
The
inspiration for many of our songs originates with a feeling. The main groove of
this song heard in the very beginning, is thick and fun. It moves you. We loved
it and wanted to see where it took us! At the time we must have been having a
conversation about some struggles and once one person vents, it kind of starts
a vent-fest with us. We’re a very tight group of friends and we all discuss our
hardships no matter what they are. Someone, maybe Joe or Mike got the idea to
create this song based around the idea of struggling with life in general.
Most of us
in the group have grown up playing quite a few video games. We bonded over that
early on in our lives before even forming as a band. The reference to “Hard
Mode” is a nod to how players can select a difficulty setting to play a game
like Doom, Halo, etc.
2. Life on Hard Mode' merges the world of hard rock with the grit of life's
challenges. How did the concept come about, and what message are you hoping to
convey through it?
We wanted
to make a song that had a relatively fun, simple groove that just made you feel
like you were cruising a highway at night or floating along the ocean. It’s
like the relief you get when you exhale from holding in a deep breath. Music
for us is therapeutic, cathartic, and most of all fun. So the song has some
great grooves to grab you and pull you in just before the madness in the bridge
for you to head-bang and scream along with us. We want people to feel relief
after hearing this song.
3. Can you share more about how the band approaches songwriting and the
collaborative process within Cultt of She?
It’s very
much a collaborative effort. We have so many riffs, its insane! The best riffs
always stand out. When that happens, usually the song will just write itself.
That was very much the case with Life on Hard Mode. There have been moments
where Anthony will play a silly little riff on the guitar thinking nothing of
it, Joe goes “wait, what was that?” and then we’ll just jam on it for a while.
Then that sound elicits a feeling which will inspire the lyrics.
We’ve been
playing together for so long we speak each other’s language and kind of know
where things will go. There have been times where Joe or Jess has a bunch of
lyrics and Mike shows up with a riff and they fit together like a hand in
glove. It’s kind of wild!
4. Drummer Joe Gregory mentioned that the song is about tackling today's
challenges head-on, akin to playing life on 'Hard Mode.' How do you think this
theme resonates with your audience, and what kind of impact do you hope it has
on them?
Everyone has challenges they face. Some obviously, are way more serious than others. It can sometimes feel like life is designed to be impossible. Our life paths can be so diverse and scary, but the one beautiful thing about music is it unifies all walks of life. We want people to know, whatever you're dealing with, whatever your struggle, it’s going to be alright. If you’re hurting, come rock out with us, come feel good and forget about whatever is bothering you just for a bit. We want you to feel uplifted by the end of the song.
5 . Cultt of She is known for electrifying live shows. How do you translate the energy of your performances into your studio recordings, especially with your latest single?
We actually
joke around a lot and try to practice, practice, practice, to capture the
energy of a live performance. It is tough. Ask any musician who’s been on a
stage then going into a studio. Playing in front of a live audience who is just
feeling your music is an absolutely incredible feeling. So when we record we
try to amp each other up as much as we can to get even a fraction of that.
6. Can you give us a glimpse into the narrative of 'Life on Hard Mode' and how
it reflects the band's overall musical style?
Musically,
the song is definitely a bit of an alternative-metal song, like early/mid
2000’s. The bridge has a bit more of a frantic yet classical approach. Mike is
practically an undiagnosed bi-polar when it comes to this sort of thing. A song
could be a wide open space one second, then screaming blast beats a second
later. In this song, it was purposely meant to symbolize this ridiculous notion
that we are all supposed to crawl through life and “suck it up”, when on the
inside we ALL secretly just want to go full on goblin-mode. Walter White style.
The band’s musical style is typically pretty diverse. But this song zeroes in
on the mayhemic side of us.
7. Tell us about the challenges you faced during the production of 'Life on
Hard Mode' and how you overcame them. Any memorable moments from the recording
process?
Mike, being
a lunatic, voluntarily records and engineers the majority of the band's
releases. It pays off (literally and metaphorically) to do our own production.
For better or worse, he is a bit of a perfectionist, but he hopes that with
every mix, he is improving. He must have mixed and re-mixed this song close to
50 times (not joking). During the mixing process, Mike actually made an
executive decision to delete the whole bridge section we had, and recorded the
whole classical/death-metal bridge. What a nut job.
8. As a band hailing from New Jersey, how do you think your local music scene
has influenced your sound and approach to music?
We are in a unique situation here. The Asbury Park area (where we hail from) has no metal scene these days, compared to say, 10 years ago (dating ourselves a bit).
9. Cultt of She has a reputation for a relentless work ethic. How does the band stay motivated and focused, especially when facing the inevitable challenges that come with the music industry?
We rely a
lot on each other. We keep things open, honest, and we always remember to keep
things fun. While we’d love to be career musicians and do this full-time, it
isn’t our primary job. So it needs to stay fun fist and foremost.
The music
industry is in such a strange place. You have to pay to play in a lot of
respects. If we had the funds we could probably place on the charts. Honestly
though, when we see that data from Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, that shows us
people listen to our music all around the world, that is a huge motivator.
10. For those who haven't heard your music yet, how would you describe the
sound and style of Cultt of She? Are there any specific influences that have
shaped your musical identity?
It’s been
said that we heavily straddle the line of vicious punk rock and heavy metal
music. We love to sit in a groove and drive the song forward. We love heavy
metal chugging goodness with screaming vocals. We have soaring choruses we have
face-melting solos and punishing drums. That’s us.
The bands
who shape our sound are the likes of Periphery, Gojira, Shinedown, Ghost, and
My Chemical Romance
11. The upcoming video release is highly anticipated. Can you share some
details about the visual elements of the video and how they complement the
song's message?
We went a
little toned down with this visualizer. It’s a simple relaxing ride through a
video reminiscent of guitar hero or reock band. The space is filled with pretty
colors and pleasing patterns. It’s a way to lock in, meditate, and enjoy the
song.
“Life On
Hard Mode”, tells listeners to never lose faith and press forward. Don’t rush,
don’t worry, you will get where you’re going. Enjoy the ride.
12. With the prevalence of social and streaming platforms, how has technology
impacted the way Cultt of She connects with its audience and promotes its
music?
It’s
incredible when we see people in Australia, Japan, Sweden, Italy, Africa, you
name it, streaming our music. The advent of streaming technology and ya know
that little thing called THE INTERNET continues to amaze us! What an amazing
time to be alive.
Admittedly we aren’t the best at social media. We aim to be better. If you reach out to us we will respond. We love speaking with our fans.
14. "For fans who want to stay updated on Cultt of She's journey, where can they follow you on social and streaming platforms? And is there anything else you'd like to share with your audience?
We’re on
all major streaming platforms. You can find us anywhere. If you’re looking on
social media platforms just look for the name, @CulttofShe. We appreciate you
all giving us your ears, your attention, and your time. If you enjoy our music
please tell us. If you want us to come play in your town, let us know. We will
try our best to get there. Thank you all
https://www.facebook.com/CulttOfShe/
Post a Comment