{"id":1956,"date":"2024-09-02T21:12:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T04:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.todayforeverzine.com\/cms\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2024-09-02T21:12:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T04:12:53","slug":"interview-public-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.todayforeverzine.com\/cms\/2024\/09\/02\/interview-public-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Public Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of Public Opinion as a rock and roll band, straight up,\u201d asserts vocalist Kevin Hart when asked how he\u2019d describe the Denver-based band\u2019s sound, but he also observes that \u201cpeople can sometimes react to our band the same way they\u2019d react to a hardcore band, whether it be stage diving or moshing or what have you.\u201d Maybe that\u2019s because, while Public Opinion isn\u2019t sonically a hardcore band, they do share the same authenticity and depth of spirit hardcore aspires to, along with the fact that the members are influenced by and have deep connections to the hardcore community, as well.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s debut full length album, Painted On Smile<\/em>, co-produced by Ian Patrick Shelton (Regional Justice Center, Militarie Gun) and Taylor Young (God\u2019s Hate, Twitching Tongues, The Pit Studios), will drop everywhere this Friday, September 6th, on Convulse Records, and represents a mile-marker moment for both the band and vocalist Kevin Hart himself. \u201cIt\u2019s feeling like I\u2019m getting beyond my bullshit – whether that\u2019s coming to terms with the loss of loved ones or getting sober and realizing I need to use the opportunity to grow.\u201d More than simply a collection of songs, Painted On Smile<\/em> is a sincere and complete effort that spans the band\u2019s diversity of sound, from fully acoustic tracks to ferocious, fast riffs set to a pounding backbeat reminiscent of seventies punk and aughts rock. The album isn\u2019t just rock and roll, it\u2019s heart and soul poured out onto vinyl, catharsis incarnate.<\/p>\n

I had the chance to talk with Kevin a little bit about the making of and inspiration behind their new album, the band\u2019s journey so far, and how he found himself by getting out of his comfort zone. Enjoy the interview and make sure to check out Painted On Smile<\/em>, streaming everywhere Friday, September 6th and available on limited edition vinyl through Convulse Records<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Photos by: Derek Rathbun<\/a><\/p>\n

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To get us started, could you introduce the band and members? Where are you from and how long have you been playing together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My name is Kevin and I sing in the band. We\u2019ve got a sort of collection of folks who perform different instruments depending on the situation, but, in short, the band is: Myself, Kevin J, Brent, Sebastian, Austin, Devan, and Eli. Most of us live in the greater Denver metro area, but two of us live outside of Seattle and will fly in for shows\/tours\/recording when need be.<\/p>\n

In the past you\u2019ve called Public Opinion \u201ceither the surprisingly poppy band on the hardcore show or the surprisingly aggressive band on the indie rock show,\u201d is there a genre that feels like home for you? How would you describe your sound for anyone who hasn\u2019t heard Public Opinion before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think of Public Opinion as a rock and roll band, straight up. There\u2019s a big push to make things that don\u2019t sound like traditional hardcore into the hardcore landscape because people can sometimes react to our band the same way they\u2019d react to a hardcore band, whether it be stage diving or moshing or what have you. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything sonically about the band that would lead you to think we are a hardcore band beyond who our friends are and who we play shows with, but because some of us grew up around punk and hardcore it gets thrown on us often. Being on Convulse Records also pushes the narrative in that direction where people who haven\u2019t heard us before will assume we\u2019re an aggressive, fast hardcore band.<\/p>\n

What would you say are some primary musical influences on the band? Do you all have similar musical taste or is there a diversity of sounds influencing different members?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe there\u2019s a pretty broad taste in the band and, as a result, we often find either common ground on new bands or we find something ourselves by adding some of A and some of B together. The big ones for myself would be early 00\u2019s garage revival bands like The Strokes, The Hives, and Bloc Party, while still celebrating bands like Rival Schools or some of the earlier Run For Cover output.<\/p>\n

You have a brand new record, Painted On Smile<\/em>, coming out September 6th on Convulse Records. This will be your debut full length release. Can you tell us a little bit about the creation of the album? Was there a very specific, intentional process behind the writing of the album or is it a collection of songs that have come together over time but didn\u2019t start out as being necessarily related? Was there a concept or theme in mind when you wrote the album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the record has a lot of different subject matter and trajectory, but I would also be able to say that, in summation, it\u2019s feeling like I\u2019m getting beyond my bullshit – whether that\u2019s coming to terms with the loss of loved ones or getting sober and realizing I need to use the opportunity to grow. For writing the instruments, I was challenged by my friend Ian, who produced our last few records for us, to just straight up try new things. I didn\u2019t want to go too far out and lose what made the band, but he was wildly reassuring that if I wrote it and sang on it, it would still feel like Public Opinion in its DNA. I very explicitly went to the practice space with the intention of writing an album and not just a collection of songs, and I think we succeeded at that. Some of the more 90\u2019s alt influence can be heard in tracks like \u201cSome Don\u2019t,\u201d but, more than that, it can be noticed in the fact the album isn\u2019t all the same. There\u2019s two very acoustic guitar heavy tracks intentionally, and that\u2019s to make it feel like a complete work.<\/p>\n

Painted On Smile<\/em> is loaded with raw, confessional tracks full of introspection and self analysis. Whether delving into topics like struggling with mental health on “Stethoscope” or battling explosive anger on “Hothead,” each track seems to be an opportunity for exorcism through examination. Do you want to share any insight into what inspired your writing on the album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think having to sit down and write songs about what\u2019s floating in my head was wildly cathartic for me. A friend of mine recently mentioned to me that sometimes he doesn\u2019t know what his songs are about until years later. I\u2019m not sure about the years later part, but after writing and recording these songs and hearing them back, I\u2019m starting to notice even more in the lyrics I wrote. A lot of the early PO material dealt with being angry at someone, while this record is more angry at myself. Two of the more sensitive songs deal with the passing of loved ones, one being my mother who I had a rollercoaster of a relationship with. I\u2019m pretty glad I was able to start to make peace with it all through music.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ian Patrick Shelton (Militarie Gun, Regional Justice Center) and Taylor Young (God\u2019s Hate, Twitching Tongues, The Pit Studio, and more) co-produced Painted On Smile, and you have worked with both of them in the past on previous recordings. How did you originally connect with Ian and Taylor? What made them the right choice to co-produce the album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think I first met Ian when I was 16 or so, so I\u2019ve known him forever. When I first moved to Seattle five years later and started seeing him at shows all the time, we eventually just started talking about music and haven\u2019t really stopped since. We worked together on an RJC (Regional Justice Center) 7\u201d that I released for him a handful of years ago now. Ian and I send each other demos pretty frequently, so he\u2019s along for the ride from the jump. I flew to LA to make iPhone demos of what became a cassette release early in the band\u2019s life on Convulse and he\u2019s been involved ever since. I knew that Ian had done a few records with Taylor in both RJC and Militarie Gun, as well as the two co-producing the MSPAINT record. I knew Taylor was capable of capturing sounds and that Ian would push me to my best performance, so it seemed like a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

What was the recording process for Painted On Smile<\/em> like? You made the trip out to LA to record with Taylor at The Pit, what was that experience like? Have you recorded at The Pit before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Devan and I flew out to record the \u201cHeaven Sent\u201d\/\u201cDry Clean Only\u201d single in January of \u201823, just a few months before we went back to record the full album. None of us had ever worked with Taylor before. On the first trip out, I was really quite nervous, especially knowing how far outside of Taylor\u2019s most notable work we were. It turned out to be an awesome experience, and Taylor is funny and cool enough that he made everyone feel at ease. In typical Public Opinion fashion, all of us made our way to LA on separate flights and created a logistical nightmare for ourselves, but thankfully the session itself turned out awesome. I stayed a couple extra days after the other boys went home to finish things up, but I couldn\u2019t be happier with how it turned out.<\/p>\n

In keeping with your previous EPs and singles, Painted On Smile is being released on Convulse Records, an awesome, independent label out of Denver who have put out incredible music from MS Paint, Destiny Bond, Gumm, Dazy, Candy Apple and many, many more. How did you end up working with Convulse and what has that experience been like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was in LA doing demos of what would become \u201cPay No Mind,\u201d I got asked by Ian to play bass in a project called S.W.A.T. with him, Pat Kindlon, Spenser Granese, and Mac Miller. That band\u2019s demo wound up coming out as a co-release on Convulse, and, during that process, Ian had put in a good word for me. Adam liked the songs, we had a phone call, and then when I moved to Denver we started working together more closely.<\/p>\n

Public Opinion is based in Denver, Colorado – what\u2019s going on in the Denver scene these days? There seems to be a lot of great bands like Destiny Bond, Candy Apple, and Time X Heist emerging from that scene along with yourselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Denver seems to always be cooking in many different directions. Candy Apple and Direct Threat both have new, awesome records out. American Culture is an indie rock band on Convulse who just put out a very good LP. Destiny Bond is on tour forever, Time X Heist is going back to Europe soon, I believe. Just everyone working hard and trying to make their way through.<\/p>\n

With the new album out September 6th, do you have any plans for shows or touring in the near future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, absolutely. We\u2019re doing a week of shows through the midwest in mid-September to celebrate the release of the record. We will also be announcing shortly a longer trip through the east coast in November, more details on that soon. Additionally, we have home shows coming up with High Vis and Direct Threat on October 5th in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as a show with Gel, MSPAINT, Destiny Bond, and The Mall in Denver on October 13th.<\/p>\n

What are some bands or releases that you\u2019re listening to lately?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discern – Referee
\nWhite Reaper \/ Spiritual Cramp – Split
\nNo Guard – War Over Me
\nDesertshore – Drawing Of Threes
\nPraise – Coming Up For Air
\nDrug Church – Prude<\/p>\n

Anything we missed that you want to share or shout outs you want to give to close out the interview?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you for your time!<\/p>\n

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