The Ones You Forgot took the time to chat with us about their upcoming EP Too Afraid to Say which drops on June 29th! We talk about touring, the studio, and much more in this exclusive interview. Check it out below!
1.) I first wanted to take the time and thank you for doing this interview with me today. For our readers who haven’t heard of you yet, can you tell us about yourself and anything about the band you’d want us to know?
Hi! Thanks for having us. We’re The Ones You Forgot. We have Jenna on vocals, Matt and Ferd on Guitar, Lance on Bass and Matt on drums. We play pop rock/ pop punk! When we’re not doing stuff with the band, you can most likely find us BBQing, going to shows and hopping on play station together.
2.) You’re currently working on your sophomore EP ‘Too Afraid To Say’ that’s going to be released June 29th! What are you most excited about for the new EP?
It’s so hard to pick what we are most excited for! Just knowing that it is finally going to be out in the world for all to hear is an awesome feeling. For one, it’s going to be great playing new songs live, especially with how fun they are! We’re playing the EP in full at the release show in July, which we are so stoked for. Everything about this release has just made us so happy, it is a great feeling.
3.) Let’s talk about the recording and writing process. What does a typical recording session and a typical writing session look like?
Usually, the writing process starts with Ferd. He is a total night owl and will text us at random hours of the night with new song ideas and riffs he just wrote. Then we would all decide what direction we want to take it in, if we want to make any changes, etc. Jenna writes the lyrics once everything else is done. The cool thing about ‘Too Afraid To Say’ is we tried to write in new ways and experiment a little bit. Usually Jenna and Ferd would write on their own time, but for Here Forever and Too Afraid To Say (the title track), all 5 of us sat down and mapped out the song together. We dedicated time on practice days specifically to write, and we think that was really good for us. As for how we continue to write in the future, well we will see what happens! We liked challenging ourselves.
4.) Back in February you filmed your, “Here Forever” music video and then dropped it earlier this month. What was it like recording it with SquareUp Studios? Can we expect more videos soon with the new EP? What has the reaction been like from your fans?
Filming the “Here Forever” music video was such a great experience. Eric of SquareUp is so talented, and really knows how to tell a story with his work (we like to call him “The Man With The Plan”). He knew just what to do with our vision of the video, and it came out awesome! Eric was recommended to us by quite a few people, and we are so glad they did. The reaction we received from the release was so cool, and many felt moved by the message of the song and video. That meant a lot to us! We’re also super thankful for all of our friends who dedicated the time to act in the video, especially Franklin who played the lead role.
5.) With the new EP coming out soon, do you have any plans to tour or to play more local NJ gigs since that’s where you guys are originally from?
The EP release show for ‘Too Afraid To Say’ is July 7th at House of Independents in Asbury Park, NJ. We already said this but we are so incredibly excited for this show! Especially since lots of friends and family will be there, and we haven’t played since May. After that, we plan on riding out the summer with small tour of a few dates, still in the works!
6.) What has it been like being able to work with Rob Freeman on the EP?
Rob is great! He is so hardworking and creative – being able to create this EP with him was special. He pushes you to be your best and he really brought these songs to life in a way we never imagined. It’s cool because we walked in loving the songs we had, and we walked out loving them even more, which we didn’t know was possible. We can’t wait to get back to the studio in the future. Also, we always like to mention that Rob has a super cute dog named Molly who hangs out with you while you track.
7.) You’ve opened for some awesome bands like Seaway, Four Year Strong, Emarosa, etc. What other artists would you guys like to tour with?
A lot of the bands that we have played with in the past would be cool to tour with! As far as those that we haven’t played with though, we’d love to hit the road with Sum 41, All Time Low, The Wonder Years, and more, mainly the bands that got us into music!
8.) With the music industry always changing and evolving, what are the things you like and don’t like about it? What aspects of the industry do you feel have hurt or helped your career? If you could change anything about it, what would it be?
Though the fast evolution of the music industry does get a little stressful sometimes, that is what makes it interesting! There is so much to learn and so many different ways to learn, and it keeps us on our toes for sure. Social media is definitely something that has benefited us and many other artists. It offers so many ways to reach out to your fan base and grow a community, which is awesome.
9.) Do you have any advice for any upcoming artists? What’s the best piece of advice someone gave you when you realized you wanted to be a musician?
Do it because you love it, and have just fun! It may seem cliché, but it’s true. Also, always be kind and professional! This is advice that we have received when we were first starting out as well!
10.) Any last words?
Thank you for having us!
