Bayside will release their new album ‘Cult‘ this Friday 21st February through Hopeless Records / UNFD. Pre-orders for the album are available now on CD [Here] or via iTunes [Here]. This week, Nick from the band took the time to answer our On The Record questions to tell us a little more about the album.
– Listen while you read –
Tell us about the release title.
We felt like for our 6th album we wanted to acknowledge and celebrate the journey we have been on with our fans. Our fans refer to themselves as a CULT, so that seemed natural.
Tell us about the artwork.
The artwork references all of our past albums, it has our initials in each corner and the word CULT is in the middle as a representation of the relationship between us and our fans. I personally worked very closely with Aaron Scamihorn on the idea. We wanted it to look dark and “cultish” but have a positive meaning when it came to all the references on the cover.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
I believe it will be a Digipak last I heard, and this will be the only Bayside release that will have a full vinyl release on the date it comes out.
Who will it be released through, and when?
This is our first album working with Hopeless Records and it comes out here in the states on February 18th.
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
The plan to record came together very quickly, so the 2 studios we used were the best studios that were available and also within an hour of us. It was important to the band for us to be close to
home for this record.
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
We used the same producer that we used on our ‘Self Titled’ and ‘Walking Wounded’ records. We hadn’t worked with him in a long time and we wound up doing some stuff with him as far as our covers EP and some demos go and it seemed like a cool idea to work with him again after all these years.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
Our direction is always just the four of us improving on our sound. Our band will always sound the same, we are comfortable with the music we write we just try to get better at it. I think
our past 2 albums the only thing we really ever make sure happens direction-wise is that the songs translate well when we play them live.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
Not really, like I said we are influenced by the type of band we are, and what our fans react to.
Were there any albums you were referencing to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
Every album for us needs to sounds better than the last, so we just wanted to improve on the sound we had on ‘Killing Time’. The sound is somewhere inbetween raw and polished.
How long did you spend in the studio recording?
I believe we spent less than a month in the studio recording. We had a lot of these songs demoed and recorded well in advance so we were super comfortable once we were in the studio and a lot of the tracking flew by.
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
With every album, we just start with the drums and get those tracked. Then we bounce back and forth between tracking bass and rhythm guitars. Then after that we bounce back and forth between
vocals and lead guitar.
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
Nope, we have it down to a science after 5 albums.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
Nope!
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
Nope!
Any memorable studio moments?
The first studio we worked at had a veritable petting zoo outside. Llamas, pigs, horses….it was fun to go hang with them.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
We have one song that will be released later on in some fashion.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
I think the songs ‘Hate Me” and “Stuttering” are going to be my favorites to play live.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
I think the songs and the sound lie somewhere between our albums ‘Shudder’ and ‘Killing Time’. Im happy with it and I cant wait to hit the road and start playing these new songs.
———————————————
BAYSIDE – ‘Cult‘
Available Friday 21st February on Hopeless Records / UNFD
Pre-orders for the album are available now on CD [Here] or via iTunes [Here]
———————————————
Punknews.org