LOVE LETTER burst from the heart of New England’s hardcore scene, a raw amalgamation of sound and fury shaped by the hands that crafted VERSE and DEFEATER. Their new album, “Everyone Wants Something Beautiful,” released on June 28th via Iodine Recordings, channels the sadness, their unique visceral energy and profound introspection that defines their work. This surprisingly under the radar, cathartic release serves as a confrontation with the demons of generational trauma and the modern human condition.
We sat down with Jay Maas and Quinn Murphy to delve into the raw themes behind “Everyone Wants Something Beautiful,” the process behind its creation, a 15-month journey from the Mojave Desert to Boston, and their journey through the hardcore scene.
Quinn touched on profound themes, delving into personal shame, mental illness, and childhood trauma. They discussed systemic issues like generational trauma, wealth disparity, and corporate greed. Reflections included self-loathing, guilt, and pervasive social and political issues. Quinn’s track by track commentary covered the expectations on Palestinians living under apartheid, exploitation under capitalism, the criminalization of the unhoused, and a lot lot more.
LOVE LETTER consists of Jay Maas, renowned for his work with BANE and TITLE FIGHT, on guitar, guitarist Matthew Spence, bassist Dave Alcan, and drummer Andrew Reitz forming the rhythm backbone, and Quinn Murphy’s whose powerful lyrics delve into themes of self-loathing, societal decay, and the relentless quest for meaning.
Answers by Jay Mass, Quinn Murphy, and Jessie Maas, band photographer, wife to Jay.
To start, could you share how you’ve perceived the passage of time up until the pandemic? How do you reflect on your personal and artistic growth during that decade?
JAY: I feel like it’s been both an eternity and also 5 minutes at the same time. I had a son and became a father in 2016 and it’s been the most rewarding and fulfilling thing in my life. However, as I think most parents will tell you it’s not without its challenges, and I feel as though I have grown tremendously as a person through the process.
With that in mind, I think great art often blooms from our most profound experiences. Sometimes that’s hardship, sometimes it’s immense joy and often it can be a combination of both. Having nearly a decade away from writing an LP has enabled my creative coffers to fill with all of that life experience.
Moving to 2020, looking back, would you have approached those challenging times differently? What impact did it have on your artistic endeavors and personal lives?
JAY: The pandemic was this crazy time of constant uncertainty combined with really taking stock and being grateful for the people and things in my life. I think it’s hard not to look back at anything in life through a clearer lens, especially as we’ve learned more about the biological, political, transmissible aspects of that period. It’s really hard to say because even if I could tell myself all of what we as a society would come to learn, I’d still be operating in a world that was largely, yet understandably, reacting to the limitations of that time.
Post-COVID, many local scenes and artists have revived, yet some struggled significantly and are still recovering. How have the last four years been for you, not just focusing on this project but also any others you’ve been developing?
JAY: Honestly, we’ve been thriving. I really believe in the ability of the individual to make the reality they wish to exist in provided they are willing to put in the time and effort required. I’ve seen it with my wife, Jessie, even just here at our home, she has this deep love of people and creates community everywhere she goes. I know our entire band is just one single recipient of all of her energy to bring people together. Outside of the band we also have these amazing friend groups that absolutely wouldn’t exist without her energy to create them.
Personally, it’s important for me to make the best art I possibly can. Part of my job has been to take cues from my wife and assemble what I really believe to be the best team of prolific musicians and form what would become Love Letter.
At this juncture, could you discuss how you reached the pivotal moment of forming this band? How has the identity of this project evolved from its previous incarnation as ‘Death Of A Nation’? What were the issues with that former name and version of the project?
JAY: I’ve been playing music with our drummer Andy since around 2003. He was the original drummer of Defeater and even though he parted ways with the band after we released ‘Empty Days & Sleepless Nights’, I’ve always felt like there was something uniquely special about the Defeater records we wrote together.
He and I typically will go into the studio and literally have ZERO songs written. We’ve learned that we like to write on the spot, taking moments of inspiration and letting them play out into full songs.
So having said that, he and I had what would become Defeater ‘Travels’ written and recorded before we even knew who the vocalist of the project would be.
At the time my favorite vocalist for the genre was Quinn, however, they obviously were already fronting Verse so the timing just wasn’t right.
Fast forward to 2017 and Andy and I are back talking about starting yet another project a decade later. However, this time Quinn WAS available and so my first text was to them asking if they would be interested in starting something again. I believe they said “I thought you’d never ask” and I remember looking at my phone thinking “Oh my god, I think this is about to be REALLY good.”
At the time we sort of just thought that we’d be doing a 4 song EP as more of a project thing. There was a lot going on in the world at the time that Death of a Nation seemed like an apt title for the project particularly given the subject matter.
As timing would have it, a documentary with exactly the same name came out about a year after the release of the EP that was essentially the antithesis of what the lyrics stood for, which was both ironic and annoying to say the least. However, at that point, the EP was out and we just sort of let it be despite getting some messages from people who were very confused looking for the documentary.
Years later when we realized we were going to be doing an LP for Iodine Recordings, the name just didn’t feel right anymore. We talked to the label who suggested making that EP the “Death of a Nation” EP by the band’s new name and it just seemed like an elegant solution to that problem.
How long did the actual process take to develop your album “Everyone Wants Something Beautiful”?
JAY: It ended up being about 15 months total. Andy, Dave (our bass player) and I all went to this gorgeous studio in the Mojave Desert called Pale Moon Ranch in January of 2023 to write the songs and record the drums.
We successfully wrote and recorded basics for what we thought would be the entire LP. We came back to my studio here in Boston and tracked the rest of the guitars and bass before starting on vocals.
It was really funny because Quinn had basically no idea in what order we wrote the songs and just got to have this collection of instrumental tracks that we thought would come to be the whole record. Quinn, without knowing, started picking tracks one after the other almost in the exact reverse order that we wrote them.
Over the next 6 months, we would continually lay down the vocals song by song and everything was feeling amazing, that was until we sort of hit a wall where only the more linear and cerebral songs were left to do.
We were all sitting in my kitchen after having a night of struggling with the vocals a little more than we had on the earlier tracks when I just straight up said that the problem wasn’t the vocals but that I needed to write more and better fitting songs. I sort of think about the band almost like an NFL coach or something, you don’t just write plays randomly, you write the plays for the team you HAVE.
In this case, I had learned so much about what was working and what wasn’t that I knew we just had to fly back to the desert and write more. We booked the time that night, and 3 weeks later, got on a plane and did just that. I’m so glad we did because we ended up writing what would become Quinn’s favorite song first “Wellness Checks”, then what would become mine “Unhousing Projects”, and finally what would become the last song on the record “Panic Disordinary”.
You’ve mentioned that the new album contains sincere reflections based on shared experiences over two decades, reflections of friendship, diverse viewpoints, and that every word is significant.
Could you elaborate more precisely on what this album is about beyond that general description? What lyrical themes and common thread can we attach to the album in general?
QUINN: I think initially I was riffing ideas off of Jay and Jessie (Maas) about having an introspective theme and dig into my life—the things I’m ashamed of, mental illness woes, childhood abuse boomerangs manifesting in ways you’re forever learning about, work/housing stress—probably what the majority of the world is going and will go through.
I think we’re all connecting that way. Good and bad, generational trauma and wealth can make or break lives statistically. A minuscule amount of people are profiting and consolidating power—we can see with our own eyes—it creates some unforgivable flaws in societies and does not help properly prepare most of us with the tools we need to make informed decisions for ourselves. For some, it leads to further poverty.
Overall, I wrote about what I wanted to write about. Self loathing, guilt, shame, personal experience, social/political issues – the things that consume life.
Hopefully it’s relatable and in a way that could be accessible to people that carry a certain amount of guilt or shame from things that have been done to them and the ways it manifested in their treatment of others.
I wanted to unpack some of my childhood trauma and pick apart how it was affecting other people in my life as I got older.
Admittedly, I am disgusted and ashamed of A LOT of my behavioral tendencies that went unchecked and ignored for so long. I’d be remiss to say that I’m not still learning things about myself that are hurting or affecting other people in my life. It’s a never ending process of unlearning but it’s vital for anyone that comes from similar backgrounds of abuse and poverty.
Generationally, we get stuck in this cyclical mess of not having access to the emotional tools to understand ourselves—it can feel like you’re given a spoon and told to build a house—which makes it seem impossible. It’s hard to read a room when your default is to think the room is already against you and potentially trying to cause you harm. I think far too many of us carry that burden with us on the regular, and it is detrimental to not just ourselves but to the entirety of the world around us.
This remains a systemic issue: wealth disparity, environmental and resource exploitation, corporate greed, land grabs, removal of access to education, revisionism of history, etc. These are the main contributors to the rapid rise in inequality and insecurity we’re all facing. As fucked and fucked up as I am, I’m actually fortunate comparatively. Regardless of being born into poverty and cyclical abuse, I am beyond lucky to have been born in the United States with white skin. Growing up, bouncing around to different family members, living in housing projects, being unhoused on and off as a kid, group homes, training school (ahem, prison for kids) and the like, I could see the way people were treated differently if they didn’t have the same complexion as me—it was noticeably worse. And, worse yet, it was glaringly obvious.
Basically, I wanted to express that we are all globally connected. Americans living in tent-cities, living paycheck to paycheck, are directly connected, or at the very least, have more in common with Palestinians that are being systematically exterminated (literally funded by people like me just trying to survive, which is VERY hard to unpack). They, in fact, have more in common with folks in the global south that have had their lives destroyed via western meddling and (mostly U.S.) foreign policy justified resource theft and workforce exploitation. In all honesty, this list would be 100 pages long so I’ll keep it short.
Could you share more about the album’s cover art? Why choose such a simple yet reflective design?
JESSIE: I take a lot of photos of my friends in an effort to preserve moments and emotions in some kind of tangible way. I prefer the photos where they don’t really notice that I’m there because it feels more honest to me. We had a long drive that day and Quinn was taking some space to breathe after a panic attack, which I didn’t quite realize was happening at the time.
I was passing by and the contrast of the light and how they were sitting grabbed my eye so I took one photo. I was using a roll gifted to me by a friend and didn’t even realize the shots would be black and white at the time.
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A month later my film scans came back, as we went through them Jay stopped and said “that’s the cover” and when we sent it to the rest of the band almost all of them agreed. I would be lying if I said Quinn was comfortable with it in the least.
In fact, I’m certain they would have preferred any other cover in the world – which is understandable. We owe them immensely for pushing through something so uncomfortable for the sake of their friend, but I think they understood why it was the only cover choice. The words and emotion of this record do not exist in a comfortable place, but I do think they meet at a crossroads with the image where they capture the same feeling.
This record will resonate with anyone who has experienced the chest crushing weight of panic or just felt like they couldn’t get back up again.
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Do you enjoy discussing the meaning behind each song and how they were lyrically crafted? Feel free to share insights on selected tracks or the entire album.
QUINN: “New Anthemic” Self reflection and self deprecation—self loathing and self destruction. Self sabotage and self realization. An open admission of guilt to everyone and everything I’ve sabotaged. I’m a work in progress and always will be. My life has been a mixed bag of good and awful behavior, selflessness and selfishness—I don’t feel good about my life.
It’s uncomfortable to work through how I was treated when I was growing up and how I treated others as an adult.
I think it’s taken me a lot longer than most to grow up/grow into something that somewhat resembles a stable person (other than some panic disorder issues). The more conversations I have about this, the more I realize a lot of people can relate to it—more or less.
“Wellness Checks and Dead Friends” – Someone moved into the apartment upstairs about 3 years ago, her name was Emily. We would all talk and become friends with her, we would crack jokes about the landlord and other things. We talked about mental illness and eventually discussed our pasts and things we’ve been diagnosed with. She kind of drove us all nuts at times with the company she would keep and the absent-mindedness on full display but we rolled with it. I’m sure we were annoying at times, too.
Things took a sudden nasty turn and she turned on us, specifically me. It was a bummer, to be honest. We didn’t know that she was dealing with any medical issues or losing control up there. I assumed she was going through some heavy family stuff and maybe her mental illness issues could be playing a role because she had mentioned this in the past. We didn’t speak for about a year and a half.
One early morning, we woke up to cops banging on our door; they were here for a wellness check on Emily and couldn’t get a response from her apartment. She was dead. She had taken her own life days before and had been lying there dead, right above our heads. It was so incredibly sad. I wish I had reached out and checked back in but I don’t know that that would’ve gone anywhere. She was struggling big time. It immediately had me reflecting on how many family members and people I’ve known that have taken their own lives—the mental health issues that run in my family and that some friends struggle with—and for sure my own ideation issues.
“Misanthropic Holiday or Vacation” A continuation of “New Anthemic” that dives into the psychological impacts of neglect and abuse. The way it can change our brains and alter our behavior and thought processes. Figuring out who to trust while you navigate psychiatric services in the U.S. healthcare system as a low income person.
It’s daunting as fuck at it’s very best. It’s hit or miss on average. It’s potentially worth it for you and yours in the long run at least.
“Popular Memes” Focuses on the way we succumb to fear mongering, identity politics and wedge issues. How we’re documenting our reactions—ignorant, apathetic, empathetic, or other—in real time as we slip further into the abyss of futility and authoritarianism. Some sloganeering and leading authoritarian references sprinkled on top for good measure.
The world is on fire and the majority of its citizens are seemingly fucked. In most cases,I don’t see the point in sugar coating such a tragically obvious observation.
“Unhousing Projects” Based on lived experiences in the cities I grew up in.
“Settlements” We finished recording this in August 2023. I was writing about what I knew from reading about and closely following the ongoing, decades long repression of Palestinian life. Obviously, I had no idea what level of repression and violence the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank, occupied Palestinian Territories/Palestinian diaspora would be facing after the October 7th Al-Qassam operation. I think there are some very hard truths to understand here.
The question of where you would be if you were in their shoes, where you would find yourself after a lifetime of living in such inhumane conditions—you have to ask yourself these questions.
I find it remarkably simple to admit that if I lived in a world where an occupying force dictated and controlled all aspects of my life and was often humiliated, treated lesser than, tortured—had to watch my family’s home and entire world stolen from them, and one day came home – a refugee camp essentially – to my friends and family members bombed into oblivion, with bloody remnants of body parts strewn everywhere.
I am almost certain I would sign up for whatever group or organization seemed the most feasible to fight the very oppressor that was responsible for such barbarity and genocidal cruelty.
Expecting Palestinians or anyone living in occupied territories that are an apartheid state with an ongoing genocide to not react is an impossible ask and I think everyone on this planet should acknowledge that. If you can’t then you’re not paying attention to the global community of experts on human rights and genocide, or your own eyes and empathy for that matter.
“Meds & Taxes” Living, working, hustling, and survival crimes. The humiliation and stress, exacerbation of violence created through exploitation of the masses under capitalism.
Specifically in poor communities. There are three cities that I grew up in that this is based off of: Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
“Debilitating Self Doubt and The Will To Use It” Panic disorder with agoraphobia in lyrical form.
“Late Stage Harm Reduction” In June 2023, around when we were working on this track, a story popped off about a group of wealthy important types that went missing while trying to see the titanic wreckage in some sketchy DIY “submersible.” It completely overshadowed another wild tragic event where hundreds of migrants and refugees perished when a boat sank in the Mediterranean.
The stark difference in media coverage was pretty obvious to most people. It was later reported that the ship was being tracked – migrant/refugee boats and the like typically are – by the Greek coast guard and others from what I can remember? They basically watched them suffer rather than making saving their lives a priority. Truly, truly fucked up stuff. Things like this are becoming normalized to us. Out of sight, out of mind type of garbage. It’s similar to things that are on the rise in our own neighborhoods and communities in the U.S.—everywhere, really.
We’re all watching the criminalization of the unhoused and an easier path from homelessness to incarceration. These are not normal times. We are not having serious conversations and none of us, working class/poor/disenfranchised/marginalized, are even in the conversations or considerations of world leaders right now.
Figuring out how to protect and control the flow of money, arms, and how to streamline exploitation and control the planet’s resources by any means necessary IS the conversation.
The collateral damage is the rapid increase in more atrocities and displaced people, climate refugees, human suffering, proxy wars that lay waste to citizens of countries that serve our interests in that moment, only to be abandoned after—the list is endless.
There seems to be no line the United States and the rest of the western world won’t cross to exploit the resources and all living, breathing bodies that live on our planet—CIA sponsored coups, military interventions to install dictatorships, supporting or directly committing genocides, literally letting cops murder, abuse, and terrorize their own citizens—overwhelmingly skewed towards people of color.
The cruelty and collective psychopathy is stunning. We might all be fucked. I don’t know anymore. I don’t think I ever did. I just know most of us deserve more than this. I think it’s detrimental to all of us if we fail to see the connection and the consequences of how refugees/migrants are treated and how that relates to the western world.
I just wanted to point out that these are globally connected issues of wealth disparity and that the western world is pulling the strings—exploiting the global south AND its own citizens. Kind of like an imperial/foucault’s boomerang—look that up if you’re not familiar.
“Panic Disordinary” Self sabotage and taking everything and everyone around you down in flames with you. Everything feels too little, too late. Figuring out how to salvage whatever goodness exists within yourself and bring it into the light. Life is uncomfortable and unrelenting—I’ve made mine worse. I live with it and try to own it as much as I can. Maybe I’m too critical of myself, maybe I’m not critical enough. Maybe it’s relatable, maybe not.
Considering your role in the hardcore scene, how do you view the balance of lyrical engagement in new releases? Are there more or fewer profound messages compared to what you consider the golden age of hardcore?
Quinn: I’m not sure what type of role I play, or have played, to be honest. I do see that there’s a difference in people being politically active and aware for sure though. I see more tolerance and less in-fighting, in general. I think a lot of bands aren’t scared to say something that could be controversial, whereas two decades ago coming out of a post 9/11, world people were all over the place with their political views under the punk scene umbrella.
Gen Z collectively seems far more socially and politically aware across the board, comparatively. I think it’s helpful that punk is accessible to more people and a wider demographic than ever now. There are more people than ever lyrically speaking out about relevant and pressing social issues. Every show I go to, punk, hip hop, whatever—people are speaking about Palestine more than ever (fearlessly, finally), human rights issues in general, foreign/domestic policy issues or just the day to day personal bullshit that’s intertwined. In my local scene (Providence, RI), it’s very clear to see. And I love it.
As we discuss other publications, do you have any favorite releases or albums from this year that you believe should be nominated for the best of the year?
JAY: For sure. There are two new Be Well songs from the “A Tap I Can’t Turn Off” single that I love.
And VOWS which is the new Hot Water Music LP is my favorite release from them since Exister personally.
QUINN: NØ MAN Glitter And Spit, Gouge Away – Deep Sage, Sect – Plagues Upon Plagues
How did you decide to partner with Iodine Recordings for the distribution of this album?
JAY: I was producing an LP for a band called “The Darling Fire” which includes members of The Rocking Horse Winner, Further Seems Forever, etc which would be coming out on Iodine.
I got to know Casey the owner of the label really well during that period and it just seemed like a really natural fit. Casey was not only putting a lot of energy into the label, but also doing things at an extremely high quality level and for all the right reasons. It was honestly a really natural fit, and I’m glad we both went with our gut and pulled the trigger because it continues to be a perfect home for us and the release of the album has done really well for everyone involved.
Looking at the current digital landscape, where independent bands, especially in the hardcore scene, often shy away from mainstream channels like TikTok or even Spotify, how do you view this? Do you see it as an opportunity or a limitation, or perhaps a greater challenge?
QUINN: Seemingly a greater challenge? The accessibility aspect of it is great, much needed even. The reality of that is more greedy hands trying to figure out how to exploit your music without fair compensation and the investors behind most (all?) streaming services.
So, ethically, it’s a double-edged sword for some. As a consumer of such platforms, you might wonder where your money is going, what are you actually supporting when the monthly Spotify or Apple Music bill gets automatically taken out of your bank account? It’s all exploitative, period. But the convenience and vast accessibility are pretty unmatched. Collectively, artists, bands, etc. are going to have to figure something out to take some of that power back.
We’re all still waiting to see what other bullshit happens with Bandcamp. The Epic Games buy out and sell off to Songtradr was wildly fucked up and disappointing to say the least.
Basically, union busting and the cutting loose of half their workforce. Ya know, it wasn’t “profitable” meaning their investors demand more money and less employees to sustain an impossible workload. They were fine. The workers should control the capital and the direction of Bandcamp, not some aggressive VC firm/group of vultures.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t inquire on behalf of many who might be interested about two projects frequently mentioned in discussions about LOVE LETTER: VERSE, which has ended, and DEFEATER.
For DEFEATER, with next year marking the 10th anniversary of ‘Abandoned’ and nearly five years since the last album, what can we expect from this project in the coming months?
And! Finally, thank you immensely for your time. Thank you for the interview, and best of luck!
JAY: I wouldn’t be able to comment on Defeater’s plans, but it is crazy to think that Abandoned is turning TEN years old.
As for final thoughts from me, I’m just so grateful for everyone who has taken the time to check out Love Letter and all of the wonderful messages we are receiving have been totally heartwarming.
It’s exciting to be making music again, and I’m looking forward to connecting with everyone around the world as our tour plans continue to unfold.
QUINN: Thank you. Cheers xoxo
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