Now you’ve had some time to process everything, how do you feel about the new Get Up Kids music?
I really like it, I’m really proud of it. I feel more confident in it that people will like it. Sometimes we’ve done stuff and I’ve been like, ‘Well, this is weird… it’s good, but it’s weird, and I don’t know if people are going to get it.’ But this one I’m like, ‘This is good, and people are going to get it!’ That makes me happy. I have to go through phases of not listening to it – because when we were mixing and mastering it and I had to listen to it all the time. And then we were trying to figure out video stuff and I’m like, ‘Urgh!’ (laughs). I’ve always felt good about it, but I just have to take breaks – like anything.
You’ve spoken before about how fans of the band can be quite possessive over your music, and they have a problem with you evolving. Was that a worry or a consideration for you this time?
It’s not something that I worry about, but it’s something I’m aware of. No other person’s opinion, other than my bandmates’, is going to change my mind about what we do, but I understand. I’m a fan of music too, and sometimes I’m like, ‘I only like the first couple of records’ – and I hate it when I say that, because it’s like shooting myself in the foot. But sometimes it’s true! At the same time, though, it’s like, ‘Okay, if you don’t dig it then you don’t dig it. I don’t care.’ If you don’t want to come to the show, then don’t. But if you do come to the show and the only thing that you like is the old stuff, you’ll hear those songs and you’ll have a fuckin’ blast, and then maybe you’ll be like, ‘Hey, I hadn’t heard this new song before, this is pretty good.’ I get it – we all get it and we’re aware of it – and it doesn’t change anything. We’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t understand.
Do you feel the same when bands say that they have been influenced by TGUK – does that affect your mindset?
My feelings on that have evolved over the years. On the one hand, I’ve said in the past that I don’t really care, but I don’t think that that’s entirely true. It doesn’t change what we do, but it is high praise to have anybody to say that they’re influenced by you. And so I appreciate and I’m grateful that people like what we’ve done – and hopefully will continue to do. I’m aware of it and I do care, but it doesn’t change any part of the creative process. If someone gave you a compliment on the street, like, ‘Oh, I really like that hat,’ then you’d be like, ‘That makes me feel nice…’ but it’s not like you’d exclusively wear that hat to impress that person.
Finally, then, is there anything left you hope to achieve with this EP?
I would hope – and if it doesn’t happen then I’m okay with that, because we’re doing fine – to possibly reach people who may have not given us a chance through some of our creative misadventures, to hear this and be like, ‘Oh okay, I get this…’ I feel like sometimes, some of our records, people didn’t like them when they were younger, and then they’ve come to like them when they’ve gotten older, and I think sometimes people have kind of written us off in their mind. So it’d be cool – but if it doesn’t happen, then that’s fine – to try to get their attention again, because I think that people will like this EP, and people will like the stuff we have coming in the future, too. It’s going to be a busy year for us!
Words: Emily Carter
The Get Up Kids' new EP Kicker is out now on Big Scary Monsters. Check it out below.