Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Melodic rockers Alive In Barcelona are preparing to release a new EP, Flatline (4 November) on Smartpunk Records. The Pacific Northwest quintet teamed up with Landon Tewers of The Plot In You to write new tracks for what would become the”Flatline EP”. Vocalist Matt Hoos took some time out to talk about the past, the present and the future.
1.) Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. We rolled a three for this interview which, given the breadth of successes and hurdles the band has come across in their tenure, probably will not be enough, which is why I’ve chosen to cheat a bit and ask some two-part questions. Let’s start with the most obvious, and most important, whats next, and whats been happening with Alive In Barcelona since the release of your self-titled album in 2019 (outside the obvious global dumpster fire)?
Obviously, 2020 threw a giant wrench into everyone’s plans, and that was no different for AIB. We had a tour scheduled to start on the 23rd of March, and the 21st was when the entire country went into lockdown, so our plans were completely turned upside down. In lieu of touring, we spent a lot of time looking at where we wanted to take AIB, taking personal time for mental health, and refocusing on ourselves and our goals, both personal and collective. This is what allowed us to plan and get into the right mental state for writing our new EP “Flatline”, a group of songs that try to emulate the collective emotions of the entire world.
2) What was the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of the process in the upcoming Flatline EP?
The hardest challenge about writing the new EP “Flatline” was actually finding time to get together as a band. With many of us living in different parts of the country, and as the country was shut down, it made for difficult writing sessions, a lack of creativity, And overwhelming feelings of distance and “writer’s block”. It’s really hard to write music together when you can’t bounce ideas off one another. We didn’t really feel a sense of accomplishment until we were finally able to come up with a collection of songs that we all believed in, and were really able to express our own individual emotions through those songs. Consequently, “Flatline” took us back to our roots.
3) One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most beneficial for myself on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
There’s no shortage of amazing bands out there, especially in the rock world. The Plot in You, Too Close to Touch, Beartooth, Architects(UK)… but some personal favorites that your readers may not know of are Rivals, Scarlett O’Hara, Omnific, Bleed from Within, Rain City Drive, Caskets, and Our Mirage. All of these amazing bands should be heard far and wide.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
