Interview: Birthright

Birthright are a post-hardcore/melodic hardcore band hailing from Baltimore, Maryland. After the successful release of several EP’s and splits, Birthright released their debut album “Let Me Down” on June 1st, 2018. I recently had the opportunity to discuss the release with the band, as well as a handful of other topics, which you can read about below. Be sure to follow the band on Facebook, pick up the album off your streaming service of choice, or purchase it off Bandcamp! These guys put a lot of effort into this release and it truly shows, so be sure to support them!

What were some of your most listened to albums while writing/recording?

So many good records came out in 2017, so we were lucky to have a lot of places to pull inspiration from. Obviously jammed the new records from bands in our universe like Citizen, Counterparts, Movements, Circa Survive, Aviator, Converge, Glassjaw, etc. Our good friends in DRMCTHR, A Will Away, and Head North all put out fantastic records. I am an unapologetic John Mayer stan and The Search For Everything has been in my car stereo since it came out. We listen to a fair amount of rap too — Kendrick’s DAMN. is a no-brainer but we had the newest records from A$AP Ferg, Cousin Stizz, Jay-Z, Joey Bada$$, Future, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Pump, Travis Scott/Quavo, Vince Staples, etc. all in constant rotation. I distinctly remember Brockhampton’s SATURATION III coming out right as we were heading to our last session and we probably listened to that any time we drove anywhere. The Midnight’s Nocturnal was absolutely perfect for the 8 PM – 3 AM drive from Baltimore to Boston.

What are some of the lyrical themes or meanings behind some of the songs?

Josh tends to draw a lot from relationships, both platonic and romantic. Struggling with the loss of a loved one, the end of a long relationship, grief, feeling alone, things of that nature. Close personal interactions and the effects they have on your mind during and after the fact. I’ll be honest and say we’re not exactly reinventing the wheel here, but in that way I believe our music is more approachable and easy to relate to. A perfect example would be the lyrics to “Farewell.” Josh writes all the lyrics, but the line “Maybe I should say goodbye before I don’t have the chance” really resonated with me when my grandmother passed away suddenly after a short hospital stint this past January. I could’ve written that myself — I regret leaving a lot unsaid before I lost her. Hopefully anyone listening can find comfort or at least something they can relate to in the same way I did.

Who did you work with as a producer? What kind of experience did you have with them?

I can’t say enough good things about Jay Maas. This was our 3rd time recording with him. We recorded our EP Waste Away with him, as well an EP for an older band of ours. Jay is just an overall enjoyable dude to be around on top of being a great producer/engineer/musician. Every session was legitimately fun and I think that kind of environment is conducive to making a good product. Jay is not the kind of guy that wants to micromanage and constantly pick up the guitar and put his fingerprints all over your songs. There were times where I’d be tracking guitar and say something like, “Is this stupid? Should I even play this?” and I could count on Jay to be honest and constructive, and for me that’s the best kind of producer to have. A guiding hand that wants you to realize the best version of your own music. He was able to conjure up the best guitar tones I’ve ever gotten to record with, and the drums you hear are 100% real, which is cool and Punk Rock™ to say, of course, but the fact that they sound great is even better. Also, music aside, the area around Jay’s studio is absolutely stacked with good food. Massive shout out to Benedetti’s Deli. We must’ve put a couple hundred dollars into that place over our 4 sessions.

In terms of the writing process, what was different in terms of writing for a full length as opposed to an EP?

The biggest difference for us was that any time we’ve recorded an EP in the past, we’ve had all the songs ready to go prior to hitting the studio. This album was recorded over 4 sessions throughout 2017, all of which were months apart, so for the most part we were writing 3, 4, 5 songs, recording those, writing 2-3 more, recording those, and so on. It was almost like recording a bunch of EPs in succession, but we took care to make sure the album is cohesive (we hope!) as a whole.

What bands are some of your biggest influences?

Well, there’s the obvious Touche Amore/La Dispute/Pianos Become The Teeth/Defeater connections you could make, but I think that’s mainly in Josh’s vocals. I can see it in the music occasionally but I don’t think anyone can really say we sound exactly like any of those bands. I won’t lie and say they weren’t what drove us to write this kind of music, but it wouldn’t be fair to say those are the only bands that influence us. Balance and Composure’s last record was huge for me. I have a soft spot for “midwest emo” despite really hating that term — I think The Hotelier are one of the best bands on earth right now and Sinai Vessel’s Brokenlegged was another of my favorites from 2017. I don’t know. I could talk about punk records all day, but as a band we have a very broad range of tastes and I like to think we pull from everything we listen to in one way or another.

Do you have any tour plans to help spread the word about the release?

Just small DIY weekenders for the time being, nothing crazy. We’re old and all have full-time jobs. If the right opportunity arose I’m sure we’d make it happen, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, haha. We’re having an album release show on June 22nd at The Raven Inn here in Maryland that we’re hoping to pack out.

What’s it been like to be independent and release your own material?

Hard, but rewarding. Obviously we don’t have the management/PR/merchandising connections that a label would provide for us, so it’s just us five trying to get the word out. But at the same time, it’s nice to kick back and see what we’ve able to do over the years off our own strength.

If you could be signed to any label, which would you hope for?

I think we’d be a good fit musically on a Pure Noise, Run For Cover, No Sleep-type label, but honestly I think we’d be down to work with anyone that has both parties’ best interests in mind. We’re not a big name group with a bunch of clout to throw around, and trust me, we know that, but realistically we’re too old to be getting screwed. It’d have to be the right deal.

If you could tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would you choose?

Led Zeppelin, Kanye West, and Prince. More realistically though, I know I just spent a minute saying we don’t sound like Touche et al, but we would love to tour with any of those bands. They consistently kill it live and I’m sure it’d be a great experience to get to know them as both people and musicians.

What albums are you all most looking forward to this year?

Kanye’s new album was a big one. It’s out now. It’s a bit short but I really enjoyed it. Possibly his worst record overall, but as Joe said the other day, picking my (our) least favorite Kanye album is like picking your least favorite meat to put on a pizza. Really pumped on the rest of the GOOD Music releases coming down the pipe in the next few weeks. Our buddies in Gatherers just put out their new record that I was super excited for, and they totally delivered. I need Travis Scott to drop Astroworld more than I need air to breathe.

If there was one song you all would love to cover, what would that be?

You know, we toss around the idea of doing a cover fairly often, but never pull the trigger. I’ve always wanted to do “Stacked Actors” by Foo Fighters, and recently I’ve gotten the itch to try “Graduate” by Third Eye Blind. I think both are super doable for our style. “Cherub Rock” by the Pumpkins was getting played at practice for like a year. One day. Maybe. Haha.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your current or future fan base?

Thank you and we love you dearly. I know we’re not the most musically talented, most handsome, most original, most whatever, but the fact that people still connect with and give a shit about our band is frankly incredible and so very rewarding. We want to get back in the studio this winter. Our first album is out now on all streaming services and available for name-your-price download on our Bandcamp, and if you already knew that and have listened to it already, you rule.