Romance & Rebellion – Whole Heart Broken

By starrymag | August 27, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

Aleks: Well, our sound is pop, but with an organic balance. We are constantly playing with the line between heavily-produced pop and a live band sound. It puts us in this pocket of Maroon 5 or Taylor Swift danciness with the warmth of the 1975 and the dark ambient groove vibe of a 21 Pilots or Chainsmokers

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

Kyle: As a band we’re inspired by great writing…pop music is such a huge part of what drives our music these days.  Artists like Bebe Rexha, The Chainsmokers, 5 SOS, Lennon Stella, Bea Miller, Sabrina Carpenter, The 1975, Billie Eilish… really anyone who has attained a fine balance between commercial awareness and artistic freedom.  It’s not an easy thing to do; to walk that line between pleasing the masses, and staying true to yourself.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Whole Heart Broken (WHB).”

 

David: Sometimes in songwriting you have to be able to reverse engineer to get to the heart of the song.  “Whole Heart Broken (WHB)” is a perfect example of that.  The last line of the chorus where the words “Whole Heart Broken” are actually sung was the last piece of the song to come into play.  It was kind of a pain in the ass to figure out too.  “WHB” started as a concept and a melody.  I had written lines that were indicative of the experience I was going through at the time.  My heart was in pieces and I wondered if I could go back in time and erase from my memory ever having met the person…if I would have been better off.  Then, you realize that the heartbreak is just the last bit of the relationship – that all the good parts are the ones that you WOULDN’T want to erase.  So, it’s kind of a Catch 22.  On the one side your heart is broken…but on the other side…it’s only broken because you loved that person.  It’s really just a sort of retrospective look at a relationship.  

 

Q) The song came out on June 28th. How did you celebrate the release?

 

David: We celebrated with a nice collective pat on the back.  We’re not much in the ways of party people.  We were more concerned with planning for the next release and finalizing the details…all whilst we nervously sat back and watched peoples’ responses to the song. 

 

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

 

Aaron: Fans have told us “WHB” is very vibey and even though the lyrical content is on the heavier side, the song has a catchy summer flavor to it that makes people want to dance!

 

Q) Will there be a video coming soon to accompany the track?

 

David: As many people might not know, we’re still very much an independent operation…so we have to be really careful where and how we spend our financial resources.  At the moment we have no immediate plans to shoot a video, but that’s not to say that it will never happen.  Just keep your fingers crossed!

 

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

 

David: Songwriting is always a mixed bag.  Sometimes you get inspired by a sequence of chords in a specific pattern.  Sometimes you have a theme or concept for a composition.  Sometimes you get so jazzed about someone else’s work that you just have to make something similar.  I definitely don’t need music to start writing a song.  It certainly helps facilitate the process though.  In recent history I’ve really been inspired by late 90’s pop music and mid 90’s R&B…So, I’ll really hyper focus on a song that I’ve been listening to…and then create something that has the same essence or vibe.  Typically, I’ll sit with my guitar and just kick around some chords.  The song really finds a home and key all on its own.  Once I’ve got a verse-prechorus-chorus I’ll bring it to the guys and say “Hey, do you like this?” If they hate it, I most likely abandon the idea…If they like it, I proceed and finish the song.  That’s just my process though…lots of other writers work in a myriad of different ways.  That’s part of the beauty of songwriting. 

 

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

 

Aleks: I’m really fortunate in this band; I get to have a very heavy hand in our production. I first got my hands-on Reason and Logic when I was in Boston for school and fell in love with the whole world of digital manipulation. Generally, after David has brought a song to the group and we all pitch in our thoughts on arrangement, we then build out the track at my place and next the guys leave and I get to go ham with the production. Sometimes we go to the studio and it comes out sounding nothing at all like the demo I brought in, which is a learning experience itself. Other times, we bring over a lot of the ideas and stylizing directly to the final track and that is a really cool feeling. I learn a ton from our producer every time we go into a session, so I often try to step back and see the ebb and flow of where our individual visions align. 

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Romance & Rebellion performance?

 

Aaron: People at an R&R show can expect an energetic performance that gets the fans singing along and feeling very involved in the experience. The songs are catchy and make people want to dance. Whether it’s your first R&R show, or your 20th, you’ll be singing along with us.

 

Q) When can fans look out for a full EP or album from the band?

 

Aleks: Full EP or album? I’m gonna keep that one a secret for now… but we are writing and arranging new songs even as you read this and you’ll have to keep an eye on us to see how we decide to share them with you. [wink]

 

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

 

Kyle: The Brandin’ Iron, Gilley’s, The Troubadour 

 

(The history and atmosphere of these venues makes it so significant to me). 

 

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

 

Kyle: Production based collaborations are always the most satisfying. The writing is so great to begin with so, there’s rarely any sort of assistance that is needed.  Once we track a song in the studio, it’s a waiting game to see how it comes out.  That first listen is like getting a present on Christmas morning.  You really hope for something sleek and cool like an X-box…but occasionally you get a pair of socks. [laughs]

 

Some producers we’d love to someday work with would be:

Mark Ronson

Dr. Luke

Dr. Dre

 

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

 

David: Oh man that’s a tough question. Recently, as I’ve already stated, I’ve been super into 90’s R&B and early 2000’s pop.  That’s more for like creative inspiration.  What I enjoy listening to is usually female vocalists (probably because that’s the vocal range that I typically sing in). I like to listen to a ton of bubblegum pop stuff like Kim Petras, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Julia Michaels, Sabrina Carpenter…the list goes on.  I’m absolutely obsessed with Lennon Stella though, too.  She’s a unicorn. So special.

 

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

 

Aaron: Social media is the easiest way to connect with our fans on a personal level. It allows a lot of creativity with our content, as well as how we want to engage with our fans. We can show behind the scenes footage of our process, who we are as people, and do fun contests for our fans to engage more with what we’re doing.

 

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

 

David: We say it on a very regular basis to our fans because we like to stay connected, but…we appreciate you.  We love that our fans are diehards.  So much of being a musician can be goal oriented and having real people that you converse with on a regular basis is so nice and grounding.  To put it bluntly…we create music to be heard and the fact that it is as well received and loved as it is, makes it all worth it…So, thank you for continuing to honor us with your energy and love.