Another One Down! Spent a little time answering our questions about their music and how they make it. Let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
To be honest there isn’t any real crazy story about how we came up with our band name. It was a band name that someone pitched in one of the first bands I tried to start and we never ended up using it, but I loved it. I kept it written down in my notes app for about a year before it was time to start my own project and I decided to break it out. I always liked it though, it just sounds like a pop-punk band name to me, y’know?
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
I started playing music at a young age, I think I was about 7 or 8 when I started piano lessons. I didn’t mind it, but I didn’t love it honestly. I think the main reason was that none of the bands I listened to really featured piano. I loved bands like Green Day, Nirvana and Foo Fighters when I was young and those were all guitar based bands. So when I was 10 I switched to guitar and that was really when music started to consume my whole life. I played in my school’s jazz band from 6th grade to 12th grade, I did rock camps at the place where I I took lessons, and I tried to start so many bands with friends who could barely play just so that I could start pursuing my dream of being in a band or being a musician really of any kind. I worked hard and got into Berklee College of Music and I’ve been still chasing the dream ever since.
How would you describe your sound?
At our core we sound like a pop-punk band, but I think we blur that definition with some songs. We have songs that range the whole spectrum of pop-punk, rock, punk, and alternative rock I’d say. Everything from clean ambient vibes to aggressive in your face punk rock. We just like a lot of different stuff and we want to showcase all of our influences.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
A few key ones are The Story So Far, Four Year Strong, The Wonder Years, and Knuckle Puck. I think we really loved how bands like that truly embodied pop-punk in that they still had the attitude and sound of punk but with really catchy hooks. Our influences have definitely stretched though with each different member of the band. Brandon listens to a lot of modern and classic rock and punk, Alex listens to a lot of 80s metal and punk, Ryan listens to a lot of modern metalcore, Dylan listens to a lot of electronic and pop, and I listen to a lot of alternative rock. I think it’s important to not listen solely to the genre you play in, because it can make your songwriting feel more stale.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Everlong by Foo Fighters. I just saw them play at Boston Calling and I literally cannot stop listening to them ever since. They’re just such an incredible band and their songs hold such a special place in my heart for helping me get into rock music. I think the Back and Forth documentary especially was a huge motivator for me to want to start a band.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
I have a few different ones. Like anyone else I’m constantly discovering new stuff on Tik-Tok, Twitter, etc. But I would say I still discover most of my new music from my friends. Most of my closest friends are either from Berklee, in bands, or music fanatics, so I’m constantly hearing “have you heard this album” or “have you heard this artist.” At the beginning of this year my “Stuff To Check Out” playlist was literally no exaggeration 1200 songs long. I’m still making my way through it and still adding songs too! I’ve got about 300 there right now.
Who is your dream producer?
Andrew Wade hands down. He’s made so many of my favorite records and he’s just one of those producers where every single thing that he touches sounds immaculate. I really hope that Another One Down! gets to work with him at least once in our lives. My second answer is Butch Vig for the same reasons, but it’d be more genre appropriate and actually possible I think to have Andrew Wade work with us.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
I’ve said this in the past but I’d love to collab with Phoebe Bridgers. I really wonder how her voice would sound interesting put in the context of our genre, and I just think she’s a fantastic songwriter.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
I think the thing that led me most to music is the emotions it evoked in me. Nothing ever gave me the same emotional impact that music did, so I just kept all my focus on doing what made me feel good and what I felt that I excelled at. Sometimes I do get discouraged from making it, just because the current state of music sometimes makes me sad since in so many cases it’s all about “what can I make that’s catchy and will blow up on Tik-Tok.” But then an artist comes out and creates music with real true heart and still blows up and that makes me want to keep going. One example I can think of is Billie Eilish, I’m a huge fan of hers. Her music is innovative, thought-provoking, and catchy enough that millions of people want to listen to it. That’s the dream right there.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
To be honest it’s constantly changing. It used to be mostly just me, but lately it’s been a lot more collaborative which I prefer because we get more of a range of ideas. I would say generally it starts from either a riff or chord progression that someone has come up with that we jam and continually build on over time, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes it all starts from a lyric or vocal part or bass line, it really all depends. There isn’t one way to do it.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
Usually through social media. We use Twitter, Instagram, and Tik-Tok a fair amount. We try not to post the same old boring “we have a show!” thing every time and give them a little look into our personalities and personal lives. And any way we can incorporate bad memes into our posts we do.
Website: linktr.ee/anotheronedown
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnotherOneDownRI
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AnotherOneDown_
Instagram: www.instagram.com/anotheronedownri
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@anotheronedown_
Spotify: bit.ly/3UzHQ99
What’s next for you?
We’re heading on an east coast tour this June and after that we want to get right to work on writing whatever comes next. Even though we just dropped some new music, we don’t want to keep everyone waiting for more.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
A Bitter Descent (Deluxe Edition) is out now and you can grab a vinyl of the record from OYERecs.com/store.
Bio:
Another One Down! has proven themselves to be an unstoppable force within the New England music scene and beyond since their humble beginnings in the small town of Exeter, Rhode Island.
Over the years the band has played alongside a number of notable scene heavyweights such as Four Year Strong, Metro Station, nothing,nowhere, Broadside, Meet Me @ The Altar, and even played the 2018 Vans Warped Tour. With 3 EPs and a full length record under their belt, the band has established a name for themselves within the pop-punk community, touring all over the east coast and midwest and racking up well over 1,000,000 Spotify streams.
With their debut record A Bitter Descent, Another One Down! has bloomed into something much more than the average pop-punk band, reinventing their hard-hitting sound with a tinge of vulnerability reminiscent of alt-rock bands like Death Cab For Cutie. Sonically they are diverse, with everything from massive pop-punk choruses, shimmering clean ballads, and aggressive fast-paced tracks packaged seamlessly onto one record. Lyrically, vocalist Marcus Simonini tackles the struggles that come with self-reflection, depression, and heartbreak with a mature sensibility.
With the deluxe re-release of A Bitter Descent via Open Your Ears Records on May 26th, Another One Down! proves even further that they are one of the most exciting acts in the current pop-punk scene.
