Famous Last Words – The Incubus

By starrymag | February 21, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

JT: I would say our current sound is definitely an evolution of all of our albums from over the years. It’s mostly post hardcore, but with tons of other musical elements from different genres added in to really showcase the main idea or “setting” of the songs.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

JT: We all have our own different musical influences throughout the band. Lyrically I draw a lot of inspiration from musicals. As far as the music goes, personally, I prefer to just think about the song I’m working on and imagine what I want the song to make me feel. Once I do that, the music has a way of writing itself to match the way I want it to make the listener feel.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your recent song “Pretty in Porcelain.”

 

JT: The story behind that song is just part of the larger story that is the Incubus. “Pretty In Porcelain” is the part of the story where our main character “Christine” is drugged and sexually assaulted for the first time. The whole song is just a big metaphor for that situation. It’s like her unconscious mind is trying to tell her what is happening.

 

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

 

JT: That song is very much about vulnerability. About feeling vulnerable and not being able to do anything about it, and the way that can make you feel. I think feeling vulnerable is something that we all can relate to in our own way.

 

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

 

JT: The video portrays Christine as a doll who can’t move. The man in the video is doing things that maybe a child would do to a doll – change their clothes, do makeup, give it a haircut, etc. But in context it’s really fucked up, especially since she’s not just a doll, she’s alive. It really does a good job at making you feel uncomfortable.

 

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

 

JT: I usually know what I’m going to say first, then we come up with the music to create the “vibe” we are looking for and then I tackle the lyrics last. Knowing exactly what I want to say where first is always a great way to go about it for me. Then, I can really focus on coming up with interesting, “flowy” lyrics.

 

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

 

JT: We have a lot of say in the production. A lot of the sound design, strings, etc… are actually parts we wrote to go in the song in the first place, instead of that stuff being added in after the main parts of the song are done. I really like the sound design in our songs to have a purpose and to correlate well with the lyrics to tell the story.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Famous Last Words performance?

 

JT: You can expect lots of high energy and to hear pretty much what you hear on the record. We are doing some things currently to spice up the live set and give our audience a more personalized experience though, which I’m really excited about.

 

Q) How did you come to the decision to release The Incubus songs as instrumentals?

 

JT: It was actually Revival’s idea. We did it before with Two-Faced Charade and that went very well. I think the fans just wanted it, so we all gave it to them.

 

Q) There is some new merch being released alongside the LP. Why was it important to make a 7″ vinyl for fans?

 

JT: I know there are a lot of fans out there who wanted to see this on vinyl. Revival suggested we take the 7” route so that’s what we did.

 

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

 

JT: As usual with our records, I hope they take away that even in the darkest places, there is always a light that can be obtained in the end. But also be careful because you never know how some people may be deep down – what kind of demons they carry. It can be a beautiful world and a scary one. It’s good to remind yourself of both of those perspectives.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

 

JT: That’s a tough one to answer. There are so many places I love in this country, but for different reasons. I just love touring all over and seeing our fans no matter where the location is.

 

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

 

JT: I don’t really know to be honest. I’d love to get some artists from different genres to keep things fresh. I think when two artists can successfully combine genres, it’s pure magic. You just have to do it the right way.

 

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

 

JT: It’s the way people connect now. It’s the best tool possible to get information or content right to the fans. Plus, it makes it possible for instant communication which before social media wasn’t really possible to do between fans and their favorite artists.

 

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

 

JT: Thank you for your support and dedication to our band. I can’t wait for you all to hear the new music we’ve been working on. Without listeners and fans we’d just be a group of guys playing in a basement. Thank you for being the reason we are able to do what we love to do.