Royal Teeth – Hard Luck

By starrymag | June 4, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I would say it is the kind of music that makes you want to dance while you’re climbing a mountain.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) They come from all over. We are constantly being inspired by different artists and genres. Right now, I’m really into Beck and Lizzo.

 

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

A) “Rivalry” was made when I was at a low point. I was having an internal battle with myself – do I keep fighting and grinding for my dreams or do I accept that maybe it’s time to move on and rediscover myself?

 

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

A) I think everybody has moments of self-doubt. We are always trying to find our place in the world and some days are just harder than others. There is hope inside the song and I think that helps people connect to it.

“I’ve made up my mind / I’m wasting no more time”

 

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

A) It’s different each time. “Rivalry” was started with only an acoustic and myself. Other songs would sometimes come from a voice memo on my phone of me singing nonsense in my car and other songs have been created because of a instrumental demo that I couldn’t get out of my head. I actually have a hard time letting go of pieces of songs that I like, even if the whole song doesn’t make it. One of our new songs has the lyric and melody from one of the first songs I ever wrote with Royal Teeth. These two songs sound nothing alike so I was pretty proud of my stubbornness to not let a good vocal hook go.

 

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

A) Thomas [Onebane] and I produced our entire new album.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Royal Teeth performance?

A) A ton of energy. We want you to let loose and have fun. That’s our main goal.

 

Q) What songs off your new album Hard Luck are you looking forward to performing live?

A) My favorite right now is “Never Gonna Quit.” We also did a broken-down version of “Rivalry” that feels very special live.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to Hard Luck as a whole?

A) We want people to feel like they should never quit on themselves. We’ve been through a lot and we wanted this album to feel like it. It’s rough around the edges and imperfect. It’s also real and honest. It’s who we are right now.

 

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

A) We love playing in Louisiana during festival season. Festival International in Lafayette and Jazzfest in New Orleans are pretty tough to beat.

 

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

A) Pharrell, Ryan Tedder, Mike Posner, Timbaland.

 

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

A) The new Vampire Weekend album is the last one I’ve been listening to. They are constantly being innovative and doing something different. They are always refreshing and exciting.

 

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

A) I think it keeps smaller bands like us alive. It’s helps so much with promotion and it gives us a great way to connect to our fans when we are touring and when we aren’t. We love making real connections with real people. When social media is used in positive ways it can be incredible.

 

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

A) Thank you. We love you. You’re the reason we still exist.

 

 

ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY LEAD SINGE GARY LARSEN