We started writing for our full length a few weeks ago, and things are coming along incredibly well so far. Writing with Josh and Neil is a WHOLE new ball game for us and we can honestly say it what we’ve always wanted and deserved from our fellow band members. Although we may seem like a new band, which in the grand scheme of things we totally are still a “baby band”, but Poli and I have been around for almost five years now as The Bombpops and never before have we felt the comradery that we feel now with our new line up.
Yeah, we have accomplished things that we always dreamed about; having our EP’s released on one of our favorite labels and opening for some of our all time favorite bands and touring the country numerous times, but something has always been missing.
Our constant line-up changes kept putting us on hold from writing and producing music at the pace we would like to and to our fullest potential. As soon as we thought we had a line up that would work, someone would quit, or we would have to let someone go because they just weren’t right for us. Don’t get us wrong, we have had some great people in our band that we are still good friends with, but we have also had some people in our band that really made things difficult for us. And while some cared about the band, none of them cared about the band the way that Poli and I do.
In the past it was always Poli and I writing all the songs, and then bringing them to the table for who-ever was in our band at the time. This method worked because Poli and I work really well together, but we always longed for members that could give us so much more in writing, in friendship and in respect.
With Josh and Neil, we have two outstanding individuals that are incredibly creative, open minded and masters of their trade. Writing this new album is already shaping out to be a wonderful experience, where all four of us are able to push each other to the forefront of our creative capabilities. We’re finally able to bounce ideas off of each other and try things out, write and re-write, agree and disagree to make parts of songs perfect. The conception of the songs still starts the way it always has with Poli or me writing the melody, lyrics and chord progressions, but we’re able to expand on all these components to greater extents with the time, patience, thoughtfulness and creativity we have always needed to make our songs not just good, but great.
It’s a liberating feeling to have band practice without someone anxiously waiting to leave because they have something more important to do or because they just don’t care. Or even worse, just going through the motions and not even trying to be creative.
To top it all off, Josh and Neil treat us the way friends and band mates are supposed to be treated. There really is nothing worse than having someone in your own band talk shit on you. We now have two guys that have our backs no matter what, that help in anyway they can, practice and play as much as humanly possible and that want to make this work just as badly as we do.
So that being said, we’re looking at where we are now as just the beginning, with a pretty awesome head start!
- Jen
