Brooklyn bruisers Go Deep are preparing for destruction with the release of their debut album Influence on 6 November. A wrecking ball in the form of Modern Life Is War and early Gallows, the record you’re about to receive will leave you in a stunned, quivering mess. Good, huh?
But what does it all mean? Vocalist Kris Kneale gives us a track by track breakdown of Influence.
**Slumberland
**“This is our welcome to Influence. We wanted to dive into something driven and dark and leave room to take the album in different directions. The record opens with drums and vocals and we intentionally finish the record with drums and vocals. I always loved the re-playability factor of certain albums, so I tried to emulate that. Incidentally, sometimes I don’t sleep well.”
**Products
**“This is a statement on music and its positive effects on my life, as well as a statement of my disgust with certain organisations seeking opportunities in our scene to take advantage of vulnerable kids. Counselling was an idea when I was younger and I was extremely resistant. I found counselling and therapy in going to shows. When I went to my first show in middle school, I felt something I had never experienced. All through high school, I did everything I could to see bands play. I needed it. On top of the pure rush from the energy of the punk scene, bands were saying things I had never heard before. They were communicating ideas I hadn’t thought about before and I was able to sit back and reevaluate some decisions I was making in my life. The important thing about life, that I learned quickly, is it’s important to truly test the ideas or philosophies that are thrown at you. A lot of people in the world have very shitty ideas and a lot of people have amazing ideas. It’s your job to sort them out for yourself.”
Wrong Side of Town
“This song deals with my daily anxieties in transit, social settings, and shows, as well as my overall struggle with keeping the surface version of myself acceptable. I’d like to think we channeled some Joan Jett with the anthem-like chorus.”
Antidote
“I hate the police. I often find myself wondering what made these people choose this life. I think it’s rather clear – they have deep insecurities and have the ability to purchase power over other people. Simply put, I think the type of person this draws in is someone I don’t see eye to eye with. The antidote is finding the thing that keeps you from becoming a person like this. Who knows what I would be without punk and hardcore but it has truly motivated me to be a better person. Aside from all of this, I hate the kids that keep the scene locked out to younger kids that are just learning. The youngest kids in the scene are who keep this alive, so the push back makes me feel like those older people are just like the police craving that power trip and that control over someone they deem inferior.”
Designated
“A friend of mine died in a car accident. She was drunk driving, and hurt no one but herself. There was chatter of her deserving it for drunk driving, and while I am extremely against any type of intoxicated driving, it’s really fucking hard to accept those comments with a situation like this. I wanted to blame something, or someone, and somehow felt a sense of guilt while living so far away. People drive drunk in Florida all the time. The public transit is terrible, and by the time I came back to Florida to visit a few months after the funeral, everyone was back in the grind of driving well beyond intoxicated. I felt like no one learned a thing, and at the end, my friend was still gone. I felt the next unexpected trip down was inevitable.”
Gentlemen’s Club
“I don’t think it’s fair for me to put myself in the position of a female living in today’s society, all I can do is express my disdain for how my female friends are treated. Hardcore is a scene that is extremely weighted for men. I struggle with that balance of a space that is safe for everyone, but still maintains that dangerous element that drew a lot of us to the punk and hardcore scene. Outside of the scene, on the streets of New York, catcalling is on a completely different level. It needs to be a conversation and the issues need to have attention brought upon them. I’ve had friends feel like leaving the city for this issue alone. The best thing I could think to say on this was ‘There’s an emotion you’ve never felt.’ Putting yourself in someone’s shoes is not possible. We can only attempt to imagine, but the amount of factors in a female’s life are far beyond comprehension when trying to capture what emotions they may feel in a situation like this. There’s nothing we can do but listen.”
**Mediocrity
**“This song was written when we wrote the original tracks for counselling in 2010. We felt it didn’t fit but we always loved the song. We’re happy that we were able to work it into this record. As for concept, I feel individuals that are not necessarily perfectly balanced create the best art and it’s because there is a true level of resolve in it. I’ve had people close to me turn straight to prescription drugs to help them with anxiety, depression, ADD, etc. For some of these friends it did nothing but flatten them. They felt nothing. Now, I’m not entirely opposed to the use of these drugs, but it should be known that doctors make money from writing these prescriptions and that it should not be the first choice. Everyone is different and can find their own way to get through the day. I just hope that people try a few ways before settling on something that could potentially harm or change them. Draw a picture, write a song, write a book, or build a fucking house. You may find your thing that brings you what you’re looking for.”
**It’s Ending Soon
**“This was the last song that was finished for the record. We wrote it, and rewrote it, and rewrote it. I developed this crippling fear of death because the record was taking so long to finish. It only made sense to put those feelings into song. I’m always anxious riding in cars, but this fear reached a completely different level. I felt good about finding some sort of purpose, but not about that possibly being cut off by some situation that was out of my hands.”
Murder Suicide
“Relationships can take a serious toll on someone. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, or how it ends. You have a strong emotional connection with someone and losing that is an extremely weighted situation. This song focuses on the final stages of a relationship. Fairytales are forced into our brains, but they’re just not realistic, especially if you refuse to lie to yourself about your actual feelings. Convenience is hard to get away from sometimes.”
Under My Skin
“We had a finished take of this from when we lived in LA in early 2014 to record this album, but we lost it when we got robbed in Chicago later that spring. Interestingly enough, this was re-tracked at 4 or 5 am Christmas Day 2014 while Santa was stuffing shit down your chimney. It was recorded in one take. It focuses on who we think the world views us as, and who we are beneath that front.”
**Palms
**“I am extremely stubborn. When I’m told I can’t do something, or told I shouldn’t do something, I can’t help but feel a need to push against. I love my chip on my shoulder. It’s gotten me a long way.
“In high school, I went through a lot of programs and such to find my direction, as any high school student does. I thought it was stupid to have it figured out by 17 and when you explain any sort of direction that doesn’t have ‘stability’ it’s met with intense criticism. I was told to go to college anyway, just to get started. I dropped out of my enrolled college classes one day before they started. A year later I decided I wanted to move to NYC. Again, a decision met with tons of criticism. I ignored it and made the move at 19 and it was the best decision I ever made. I went to school for Menswear Design in 2012, and when the program was over I came to the conclusion that I wanted to focus on music. I didn’t want to settle for a corporate fashion job, and any job I would actually want would have very low pay. I decided that if I’m going to make shit money, I’d at least do exactly what I wanted to. So, I’ve been focusing on the band ever since, hoping to reach that day that I can support myself on the road, playing music, doing what I love.
“The lines in my palms are carved deep. As in, there was never really any other direction for me to go. It was hard to ignore that every step I took.”
Influence is out 6 November on 6131 Records. Get your copy here.
