Interview with Against the Current
Glitter recently sat down with the amazingly talented pop rock band, Against the Current, to find out when they became Against the Current, how they would describe their sound, how they came up with the song, “Young and Relentless,” their favorite song to perform, favorite thing to do on their downtime, and where you can find them on their current US Tour. Read on to find out more about this talented band that’s going places!
Photo credit: Andrew Lipovsky
GLITTER: How did Against the Current become Against the Current?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: Dan and Will met when Dan moved in the third grade. Will was already drumming and encouraged Dan to learn the guitar; they eventually started a band together. In 2011, we met through a mutual friend and they came over and just played a few songs acoustic with me to see if it would work, and luckily enough, it did!
GLITTER: How would you describe your sound?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: We actually came up with our own name for our sound; we felt that genres such as “Pop Rock” or “Pop Punk” didn’t accurately fit the feeling of the band so we started calling ourselves “Pop Alternative.” We feel like it really suits us and makes sense.
GLITTER:Where can fans find your new album, In Our Bones?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: They can find the album in most places! Spotify, iTunes, even streaming it on YouTube. They can also buy physical copies off of our webstore.
GLITTER: Did anything in particular inspire you while writing the songs on your new album?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: Yes, everything! No seriously, we like to write about what we know, what we’re experiencing or what we’re observing and trying to make sense. We’re generally inspired just by the world happening around us. What really drove us for this record was the idea that we don’t want to be standardized in any way. We don’t want to fit a mold with our sound, our look, or anything else just for the sake of fitting in; and we wanted to promote that message in a positive way that really focuses on just being you, the way you want to be you.
GLITTER: How did you come up with the song, “Young and Relentless”?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: We wanted to write a song that touched both on the difficulties that sometimes come with chasing a dream, such as constant flights and never being in one place very long, but also remind ourselves how absolutely incredible and unbelievable this life is.
Against The Current – Young & Relentless (Official Music Video)
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO // AGAINST THE CURRENT – YOUNG & RELENTLESS New album Past Lives available now! – https://againstthecurrent.lnk.to/past… New Past Lives merch drop available here! – http://atcofficial.com/store Stream this song and more here – https://open.spotify.com/album/4nlsl1… THE PAST LIVE WORLD TOUR 2018 EUORPE + ASIA ON SALE NOW!
GLITTER: When and where will you be kicking off your US Tour?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: The US tour kicks off with a festival in Pittsburgh and then we head to Boston!
GLITTER: Do you get nervous before getting on stage? Do you have any pre-show rituals?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: No, not really! This is what we love to do and it’s our job, so that combination of passion and requirement of delivery fuels us and overcomes any nerves we might have. This is also just very natural to us. We love performing and playing the songs that we intertwined little pieces of our souls into.
GLITTER: What’s been your favorite song to perform live?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: Personally, I really love playing “Wasteland” live right now. It has such a cool feeling, and it so different than our other songs so it’s a very cool moment. “Roses” is amazing as well, it’s extremely emotional every time we play it; it’s a very special experience for me. But every song contributes something different; there isn’t a single song in the set that I don’t love to play.
GLITTER: When you’re not busy recording or performing, what do you enjoy doing on your downtime?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: We have a lot of interests! Dan really loves gaming and building computers, Will loves cooking and working on new music, and I love just doing things with my family; going into New York City and experimenting with new makeup.
GLITTER: What advice can you give to those wanting to pursue a career in music?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: Every single one of us is different. No two people are exactly the same and that is your greatest weapon. No one can be you, there is truly only one of you. So find out how to create a world around who you are at the very core of your being and run with it.
GLITTER: Is there something about your fans would be surprised to know?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: I think they’d be surprised to know that we’re all kind of shy and awkward. But then again, maybe they already saw that coming!
GLITTER: Best advice you were ever given?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: Benji Madden from Good Charlotte reminded me that none of this would exist without the artist. Management, labels, radios, etc. all exist because of the music. So while it’s easy to get swept up in what everyone else is telling you to do remember that you, the artist, are the core and foundation of what this all is.
GLITTER: What does self-love mean to you?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: This is something I’m constantly working on, but right now – I think self-love is all about being your own biggest fan. We tend to be our own biggest critics, and while no, none of us are perfect, we have all done some incredibly amazing things and deserve to celebrate those things with ourselves! I’m trying more often to remind myself to be proud of what I have accomplished, to take a step back from everything and really just appreciating who I have become.
GLITTER: Is there someone you’d like to collaborate with that you haven’t worked with already?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: Honestly, I’d love to collaborate with Fetty Wap. I’m seriously such a fan. Also, I would love to write with Ryan Tedder. He’s absolutely phenomenal.
GLITTER: Any projects you can tell us about that you’re working on next?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: If told you, where would the fun in that be?! We have a LOT of exciting things coming up but they’re secrets for now!
GLITTER: How can fans follow you?
AGAINST THE CURRENT: They can find us on twitter (ATC_Band), instagram (againstthecurrentny) or they can just head to ATCofficial.com and get the links to all of our socials!
AGAINST THE CURRENT “IN OUR BONES” TOUR DATES
NOVEMBER
17 Boston, MA Middle East
18 Montreal, QC L’Astral
19 Toronto, ON Opera House
20 Albany, NY The Hollow
22 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
25 Charlotte, NC The Underground
26 Orlando, FL Social
27 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
29 Houston, TX House of Blues – Bronze Peacock
30 Dallas, TX House of Blues – Cambridge Room
DECEMBER
2 Scottsdale, AZ Pub Rock
3 San Diego, CA SOMA
4 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
5 Sacramento, CA The Boardwalk
7 Vancouver, BC The Rio Theatre
8 Seattle, WA Crocodile Café
10 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
11 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
13 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
14 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
15 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
16 Detroit, MI Shelter
JANUARY
13 New York, NY Irving Plaza
14 Philadelphia, PA Foundry @ Fillmore
FOR MORE ON AGAINST THE CURRENT, VISIT:
https://www.facebook.com/againstthecurrentband
Editorial Director | Writer | Tweet me @heatherriccio
