Blood Youth – Starve

By starrymag | April 1, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) It’s difficult to describe because I think people hear different things when they listen to BY. It’s heavy, dark and relentless, but it can also be super melodic and catchy. That’s something that we are really proud of and never want to lose.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) We have always been influenced by bands that did things on their terms. Bands that don’t give a fuck and just write what they want to write, that’s something that we have always inspired by. Lyrically I’ve always been inspired by a lot of hip hop and RnB, I’m fascinated by how artists in other genres write lyrics and how they piece it all together.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Spineless.”

A) “Spineless” is about anxiety. It’s about the internal battles we face every day. I was always ashamed of my anxiety and it really started to affect my well-being. Sometimes anxiety and fear take a hold of us and we make decisions that we regret later on. When I was writing the lyrics to Starve I genuinely believed that I deserved to be alone, as I didn’t want my sadness to affect anybody else. I basically cut off all relationships and friendships in my life. That’s what the line “I never wanted to leave” is all about.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) I think it really hits home with a lot of people. We all have our demons and dark days, I think this song highlights the reality of it all. As long as people can find some sort of therapy or comfort from Spineless then I’m happy.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it? 

A) We just really wanted the video to be as claustrophobic as the song and album. It was shot in a wood mill near where we grew up. It was like something from a Saw movie!

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

 

A) I wrote lyrics like a diary. I’ll just write pages and pages of words and sentences and then we piece it all together with the music. I always dislike the writing process because it usually involves a lot of personal hardship. It’s always worth it though!

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music? 

A) I write the lyrics and Chris [Pritchard] has always written the music, but we all have 100% input when it comes to building and piecing together the songs. I love how well we work together when we are writing or in the studio.

 

Q) What songs off your album Starve are you looking forward to performing live?

A) At the moment we really enjoy playing songs like “Nerve” and “Keep You Alive.” Our set has always been 100mph. It’s cool that we can slow it down a bit now.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new album as a whole?

A) We want people to really experience something when they listen to Starve. There are so many twists, turns and haunting moments. I really hope it takes you to a completely different place.

 

Q) With the tour in Europe, where are some of your favorite places to perform overseas and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

A) We always love touring in Europe. You never really know what to expect, but it’s always a great time. There are lots of countries that we love playing in, but this time we’re really looking forward to the countries we’ve never been to before. We’re very grateful that our music can take us to so many different places.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) I really want to collab with Kurt Ballou. Converge changed my life when I first heard them and he’s produced some of my favorite albums of all time. It would be awesome to see what he could do with BY.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

A) I’m really enjoying the bands that have been supporting us on this tour at the moment. Parting Gift, Lotus Eater and God Complex are all really exciting U.K. bands that you should check out!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) Social media is such an important thing in our word now. There are many pros and cons, but either way it gives us a platform to communicate and share with fans around the world. We get messages and merch orders from all over, that wouldn’t have happened without social media!

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you for believing in and supporting this band. We will see you at a venue near you soon!

 

 

ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY FRONTMAN KAYA TARSUS