After a fairly prolonged absence from the “scene,” SoCal punk vets Unwritten Law return this month with their long-awaited sixth studio album, “Swan.” “Swan” marks the band’s first studio album on their new home, Suburban Noize Records, and the first full-length of new material since 2005’s “Here’s To The Mourning.”
Dying Scene caught up with the UL fellas for an interview that discusses the band’s evolving sound from the straight-up Cali punk of “The Blue Room” and “Oz Factor” to the more aggressive rock sound of “Elva” and “Here’s To The Mourning.” UL also touch on the band’s recent collaboration with Del Tha Funky Homosapien, their thoughts on how the industry has changed since they started out all those years ago, and what has kept them plugging away for two decades in spite of some obvious ups and downs. Check out our exclusive interview here.
“Swan” is due out March 29th. UL are currently on the road in the States. They will soon play Australia, and are signed up to play the Warped Tour in its entirety.
First off, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer a few questions. “Swan” marks the first album of new Unwritten Law material since 2005’s “Here’s to the Mourning,” which itself showed a progression to a more aggressive rock sound and more personal lyrics. What sort of vibe can we expect from the new album?
We even went deeper into our own psyche for this record, for better or for worse. We definitely put ourselves on the line musically and lyrically. The record speaks of us from the heard and everything we have been through for the last couple of years, and its a good representation of what we were and who we’ve become.
Being the first album in six years, and the first with Dylan on drums, what was the writing/recording process like compared to earlier albums?
We actually wrote the album twice. The first time, we went in for six or so days and wrote as much as we could, which was about nine songs. Dylan actually wasn’t there for those sessions. We had our friend Ernie Longoria set to record the record with us. We went into the studio and realized that we had completely rushed the music and it was crap, so we ditched the session. Then we took a moment to regroup and brought in Dylan to play on the record, which made sense since he had been playing the live shows for a while, and we rehearsed and wrote for six months and came out with the record you are hearing now, “Swan.” And thank God we did. Otherwise, I don’t think we would have made it as a band with the first set of songs.
“Swan” will be your first studio release on Suburban Noize. How is your relationship with them different than with past labels, and how has the artist/label relationship changed since you’ve been in the game?
The great thing about SUBNOIZE is that we were friends with Kevin Zinger (label owner and manager) before we signed with them. We were doing shows with him since the start of UL. It’s a more personal relationship unlike being on a major where you basically become a number to them. Indie labels will rule the record business in a matter of years. Majors have a business model that isn’t sustainable in the current music environment. And we have control of everything. And also we’re not limited to the structure of a typical major label release. We can send whatever song we want to radio. We can market to whatever or whomever we want. We can do anything, and that was never possible on a major. You don’t have to fight to be heard, and it’s great. We wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.
Starships and Apocalypse” is the first single from the new album. What can you tell us about it?
It’s pretty self explanatory. Scott wrote the lyrics, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s basically about losing all inhibitions and following your gut. And not being afraid to go to outerspace or start the apocalypse if that’s what you feel you gotta do to set yourself free. And it’s told thru the narration of a crazy chick.
“Swan” also features collaboration with seminal Oakland rapper “Del Tha Funky Homosapien” on the track “Chicken.” How did that come about?
He showed up out of no where after Scott got a call from a mutual. He said Del was in town and wanted to record some music, so he was sent to Scott’s house at midnight. He showed up with his manager and a bag of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles! HAHA! How awesome is that! Anyway Scott played him a few songs, and one of them was “Chicken” which was the working title from (PK) since the main riff reminded him of scribbling on a piece of paper; hence “chicken” scratch. Del loved that song. So he laid down some raps in about and hour then split. And that was that. Thanks Del!!!
UL has been around in some format for twenty-plus years now, and the trio of Scott, Steve and PK has been together for over a decade in spite of the personal and professional tribulations you’ve experienced. What do you credit your ability to stay together to; when so many other bands have called it quits?
Good question, and I’m not sure I have a clear answer for you. We get on each others nerves all the time. Constantly! But we have passed the point of being friends – we’re brothers. So we put up with each others shit. Maybe we shouldn’t, but it’s all a part of being a band. And we also still enjoy making music together. And we are proud of what we accomplished. We didn’t have a producer and a professional studio to go to everyday. We did it ourselves, guerrilla style. It’s truly our own, and we did it together.
Dying Scene is a website dedicated to all things punk rock. Since your longevity as a band has you approaching “elder statesmen” status in the industry, what are your thoughts on the punk “scene” now compared to when you were cutting your teeth in So Cal?
HAHA!! I’ve been waiting for someone to call us that. And it’s true! But it’s funny since I’m only 33 years old. But whatever. I’m proud of all we have accomplished. We’ve had a long career and we have had loyal fans through the years. And that’s hard to do. So many bands break up mostly due to their own egos getting in the way. But for us, it’s always been about the music, which has kept us together. The scene now is cool. You have younger bands picking up the reigns and running with it. It all goes back to the same place. The attitude of ‘fuck everyone’ and do what you feel is right in your heart. And as long as there are kids with that mindset, there will always be a thriving scene, and I’m honored to have been a part of it.
You’ve recently hit the road for the first few dates on what looks to be a busy year for UL. How are crowds responding to the new material in the early going?
It’s been great actually. You never know what you’re gonna get when you play new songs. I hate playing new songs for that reason. But at the same time when you finish a record, all you wanna do is go out and play it for people and see the reactions. So thankfully the reactions have been good! So we’ll see I guess. Hopefully it will be a good year for UL.
After this, you’re touring Australia, hitting the road through the States with Authority Zero, and you’ve signed on to do the Warped Tour this summer. How excited is the band to be hitting the road so extensively for the first time in a few years?
It’s a good feeling, but we kinda had to get our sea legs again. But just doing these first couple of shows has been enlightening. It’s like riding a bike. Even if you haven’t done it in a while you can still get up there and handle business. So it’s going to be really good to get out there and play shows with new music and reacquaint ourselves with our fans. Its been too long since we’ve been out!
DS: Thanks again for your time! Good luck with the new album and the tour!
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