Hey Eric, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk some today. How’s everything been going on your end lately?
Really good!
Jumping right into it, Heart Attack Man has a new EP coming next month “Thoughtz And Prayerz”, how excited and eager are you for fans to finally be able to hear it?
It’s our best material yet, so I’m very excited and very eager.
Having heard it myself, to say this will be an AOTY contender for fans even as an EP is an understatement. It’s phenomenal in numerous ways. Was the writing and making of this record any different than it was for 2019’s “Fake Blood”? Having done it during COVID I can only assume that played a role in changing how everything was done.
We recorded it in two different sessions instead of all at once, but otherwise it was relatively the same. My process is essentially just taking our best elements on a release and making them even better, or incorporating a new influence in and trying that out. We did a bit of both on this EP, but my thought process was to take the catchiest and most aggressive elements of Fake Blood and condense them into an even more refined EP. The only real difference this time was how we recorded it, and I think we’re better at being Heart Attack Man now than we were a couple/a few years ago.
While Heart Attack Man has always had a more angry and aggressive side of the pop punk sound, the new EP takes it even further delving almost into straight hardcore for some songs. How much of an influence does your own personal tastes blend into this new EP and can fans expect on the next full length to continue to see that blend of pop punk and hardcore take full effect?
I am very influenced by hardcore, metal, rap, any form of aggressive music I am here for it. But I also love catchy upbeat stuff, so that’s kinda where Heart Attack Man comes from. Personally, I incorporated a healthy amount of Korn influence into this EP. Even if it doesn’t really sound like it throughout, they have been a huge inspiration for me. Going forward, I really just kinda wanna do whatever we’re feeling. We’ll likely go harder and heavier, but we’ll also make chill songs. I like doing it all and figuring out how to make it all make sense together.
Your first single “Pitch Black” from the upcoming EP, aside from being the best song to be released this year, shows you without a guitar in your hands. Is this a full time thing now with just vocals and can fans expect to see that this fall on tour?
Aw thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. Yes, I’m mostly gonna be just singing now. We figured on a headlining tour or a tour where we get to play longer, I might play third guitar (we’re having a friend tour with us on guitar) but we’ll see!
Speaking of tour, you’ll be out this fall supporting Neck Deep. How excited are you to be back on the road and how badly will you try to steal the spotlight every show?
I’m so excited! I’m gonna be doing my best to make the biggest impression we can, seeing as it’s the biggest tour of our career to date.
Can we expect a headline tour in 2022? Or even a new full length?
Yes.
Aside from making new Heart Attack Man music and being one of pop punk’s biggest social media fiends, what have you done to keep yourself going during these trying times?
I’ve gotten really into fitness and nutrition–running and going to the gym has helped me so much, and I’ve been back on veganism for almost two years after a long streak of just vegetarianism. I’d be an absolute mess if I wasn’t staying active and eating healthy.
Before I let you go anything you want to leave the fans with, be it news, drama, or something that will confuse the masses?
Scoobobby.
