The new single from Juice Falls sounds uncannily original. Sure, you’ve heard the ingredients before – thick guitars, big drums, urgent vocals, and deep round bass. But, this Indianapolis quartet is able to mix these ingredients into a new recipe. “Crash Bash” shows the power of a band that has had time to settle into their sound.
With over ten years of playing together, the members of Juice Falls have lost none of their ability to collaborate and create something larger than the sum of its parts. Jay Brodzeller and Bern Eagan are co-lead vocalists and guitar players, and the band thrives off the ease with which they give each other the spotlight. Drummer John Parkinson and bassist Brady Arnold provide the heartbeat and steady backdrop for the riffs and melodies. Together, these four musicians work tirelessly to improve their writing and playing.
And all that work has culminated in a song like “Crash Bash.” On this track, the band centers the interplay between Brodzeller and Eagan. These two singers know how to work together to create layers of vocal melodies and styles that range from Ought’s “Disgraced in America” to Sunny Day Real Estate’s “In Circles.” It’s a sheer delight to listen to this song and not know what to expect from the vocalists – they’re masters at keeping us on our toes. The band is tight and tempered, controlling the chaos with smart playing. Parkinson’s kick-heavy grooves will have you bobbing your head, and the rest of the band emphasizes Parkinson’s perfectly-balanced playing.
“Crash Bash” is a perfect summer punk song. It’s urgent and heartfelt. The emotion bleeds through because the band members are experts at their craft. What stands out in the end is the song; and as you listen and peel back layers the finer details are clean and precise. Listen once, and you won’t be able to get this song outta your head.
Q&A
How do you find the balance between grunge and punk in your work? Does it come naturally, or does it take some sculpting?
It varies from song to song, but overall it comes pretty naturally. A lot of it comes from our individual playing styles as musicians in the sense that some of us come from more punk-oriented backgrounds, and some of us come from more grunge-oriented backgrounds. We write most of our songs together as a band, so as a result our individual styles tend to blend naturally as we write. Of course, sometimes it does take some sculpting when we have a specific vibe we are trying to create with a song, but we usually don’t have to put too much thought into it.
How does “Crash Bash” compare to the rest of the material on Lake Side Drive?
“Crash Bash” sort of encapsulates our heavier and more energetic side, especially compared to “Lake Side Drive.” The two songs are basically two sides of the same coin that is Juice Falls. They represent the polarity of our music – “Crash Bash” being our heavier side, “Lake Side Drive” being our softer side. Very different from one another, but still unmistakably Juice Falls.
The audio-visual for this song is such a cool way to bring out the vibe and character of the song. What was the experience like taking photographs with Sebastian Richey?
We had a general vibe we were wanting going into the photo shoot, but Sebastian really brought our ideas to life and added a whole other dimension to the piece. We had the colorful chairs we wanted to use, and we knew we wanted Bern’s dog Finn in the mix, but Sebastian took it from there and created some amazing shots that really encapsulated the vibe we were going for. We wanted it to be a laid back, summer-time vibe – and Sebastian was the perfect photographer for the job. He was a dream to work with, and we love the direction he took things in.
What do you hope listeners get out of this song?
We hope that this song will be a fun and energizing experience for our listeners that will make them want to call off work, grab a picnic basket, and go enjoy life with their loved ones. That is what we felt while writing the song, and we hope that comes across to our listeners!
What’s next for Juice Falls?
We have a lot in store for the future! We have some more recorded music we plan on releasing over the next year, and we are constantly writing new material. We also have plenty of shows in the works, including some small tours we are planning for later this year!
LINKS:
http://instagram.com/Juicefallsin
https://twitter.com/juicefallsin
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVnoqKLs_ss5bsiKXR9J2HA
https://facebook.com/Juicefallsin