Richmond, VA pop-punkers from BATTLEGHOST have just released their latest EP “Don’t Be A Hero”! The outing develops their melodic, easycore sound and gives you a perfect soundtrack to your spring party. The band trump many of their contemporaries with their confident and proficient application of vocal maturity to a raw pop-punk sound.
Formed in 2011 by Dorian Cooke, Lloyd McDonald, Ben Ciucci and Nick Craven, the band released their debut EP “Villains Beware”, debut full length “This May Hurt A Little” (2012) and acoustic EP (January 2013).
Play their songs, see how they are proud of the new outing and drop us your verdict below :)
Hey! What’s up guys? How’s Richmond?
Richmond’s great! Always love our home.
I saw your recommendations post few days ago. What cool local names have popped up recently?
Our local scene is great and has always been strong! Some of our best buds from here are BROADSIDE, MERIDIAN and IN COURAGE. Keep on the look out for those dudes.
Cool, will do!
You are releasing your new EP “Don’t Be A Hero” on May 11th. Are you proud of it?
Of course! We are very proud of the songs we’ve put on this EP, after all the work that’s gone into it. Can’t wait to see the response it gets!
How are you releasing it? Is there a DIY ethic attached to it?
It’s an independent release, but we have great support from our management at Kolossal and our buds at Carry The 4 are doing a good job promoting the record! You can pre order it from Store Envy, here.
Who produced the record?
It was actually predominately self produced, there’s a bit of a misconception over that, but it was engineered by Chris Hummel at Kolossal Studios who helped us get everything sounding just how we wanted it.
How would you compare it to your last year’s full length “This May Hurt A Little”? What’s different about the new outing?
Oh, and after some time and playing the songs at shows, how do you feel about the album today?
We still love This May Hurt a Little, but we had some growing up to do, which we feel can be seen in the new EP. Don’t Be A Hero catalogues our development musically, and the release is an accurate portrayal of the direction the band has moved in.
Any plans for a music video supporting the new EP?
Absolutely! Keep an eye out!
Great!
Do you worry how people will perceive the whole thing?
Not really, we just hope people take it for what it is and understand the messages we’re getting across. All these songs are from a real experience in one way or the other, so whether or not individuals can relate, hopefully they appreciate that.
What’s the key to write and produce an original work in the times full of generic bands not even trying to explore new areas within a genre?
I think that it’s important just to stay true to the music that you want to write. The only difficult part is getting your music out to an audience in a way that they can accept and get what it is we’re trying to achieve.
Ok, you’ll be supporting the EP on a few gigs on the East Coast. Tell me more about this run.
This run should be awesome! It’s a shorter one, but we’re going to be with our Connecticut friends in FOURTH AND GOAL which will be a blast! As long as there’s beer and friends, it’s a good time!
Any plans to go further sometime soon?
Yes! We’d love to venture west very soon. We hope that with the support from the EP and the East Coast shows we’ll be able to spread BATTLEGHOST’s sound nationally across the in the US in the near future!
What are the chances of seeing you live in Europe this or next year?
Hopefully the chances are great! We still have a little exploring to do in America, but Europe would be rad. We’d love to see everyone over there!
I bet you’d love it here! :)
To fully understand the foundation of BATTLEGHOST, let’s go back. Tell me about your beginnings. How did you guys form this band?
This band was formed by two friends that were in between bands. After trying out drummers, I (Nick), was asked to try out. Once I joined, Lloyd was added shortly after and we played locally for a while before our old vocalist left the band on his own terms. Lloyd and I knew Ben from playing shows with his old band in the past and started writing music with him. Then, I found Dorian at a friend’s studio recording with his old band and we asked him to try out. He was a perfect fit!
How has your perception changed over the years? What does it feel like when you look back on when you first started out compared to where you are now?
It’s a MAJOR difference. The scene has changed a lot, but is still great and very welcoming. A major difference is that now, we’re seeing new faces at our shows singing along, when before it was just our family and friends. That’s an awesome feeling!
After all these years, where do you get most of your musical inspiration from?
It comes from everyday life and feelings that most people deal with all the time. We just put music to it and sing about it in a catchy way. Inspiration comes from everywhere!
So what message do you want to send to fans through your music?
That no matter what you’re going through or how you feel, someone else feels exactly the same way. You’re never alone.
What are your next plans for the band? Do you have any ambitious goals that you guys have for BATTLEGHOST this year?
This year we are looking at a LOT of touring to support the new music! Can’t wait to see how it goes. It’s a very exciting year ahead for us.
Ok :) What else, gentlemen? Feel free to add some exclusive secret news for us :D
All of our secrets are out! haha. Make sure to check out the new EP “Don’t Be a Hero” available on iTunes, Storeenvy, Spotify and Bandcamp (and many others) on May 11th!
Cheers for your time. Bets regards from Poland! :)
Thanks for having us!!!
