An Interview with Petrov, the Hero
A fresh single from Petrov, the Hero brings out such a set of fresh grooves that deliver a very particular and unique approach, riddled with personality, and blending elements of funk, rock, pop, and more to create a sort of atmosphere that feels almost theatrical at times, but is bright, colorful, and can be incredibly vivacious.
"Cannibal" has a heavy-handed driving force behind it, and that force is the bass guitar. The bass guitar line in this track is absolutely everything. It gives the whole thing its flow, motivation, funk, and depth of grooves.
Of course, this is a company with some outstanding drumming.
The track is introduced with a cool sample that feels completely vintage, bendy, and wailing sort of guitar lines that make you think of underground '90s rock bands like the Toadies, and it all comes together like puzzle pieces.
The drumming is absolutely outstanding. You have such a great time signature, he's always in the pocket, but also adds this liveliness to the track that wouldn't be there otherwise, and you can tell that everyone is really on the same level in terms of their energy
There's a massive level of synergism happening to the point where it feels almost like a lot of this was recorded live on the floor, and everyone was just feeding off of each other the entire time.
Of course, I wasn't there, so I'm not sure exactly how it was recorded, but listening to this track makes you want to go see them live.
While the drumming has elements of jazz and funk, it also makes you think of bands like Primus at the same time. Sort of hear these different influences coming into play as the song unfolds.
The vocals are so good throughout this song. The reason for that is that they are outside the box. Certain parts of the track, during the verses, for example, feature amp-simulated or distorted vocals. There's a fuzz tone over the vocals during those verses, and that helps give it a little bit of edginess. Again, it is a little bit theatrical, and it has this unique, sort of '90s edge to it in terms of its looseness and fun. It's sort of quirky on purpose.
During the choruses, the vocals are just massive. There are layers and layers of harmonies, maybe three or even four parts, it would seem. It feels very lush and full-bodied during certain sections. As I mentioned before, it's quite colorful and something that adds to the robustness of the song itself.
Meanwhile, groove keeps grooving, and it's very hard not to move your body to this track. It's unbelievably danceable.
The samples keep on going, and it feels like chunks of a movie that I've seen sometime in the 80s. I dig the elements of vintage aesthetic underneath everything because it sort of helps with the flow of the track.
Bursts of guitar chords come in and out, and towards the end of the track, there's a great bridge section that is pretty quick but features some drumming that comes through on a little bit more of a rambunctious level, and I like that too because it features them in that spotlight for a moment.
It's fun and super addictive to listen to this track. There are so many different textures that this one single delivers. At times, they are layered together, at others, they come in a singularity, but there are delicious and flavorful sounds and textures coming from every angle of this track.
Yet, at the same time, it's not scattered at all. It's very together, well formatted, super well arranged, and something that again, brings together this sort of '90s rock element with the funk and the pop, some soul, hints of garage just sort of peeking its head out here and there.
It's unafraid and does not by any means follow any kind of systematic genre formula whatsoever.
This is a release that probably came from a live jam session the band had.
It's very hard not to get that bass guitar line out of your head.
What's one of the things that you can hear while the song plays through is many of those influences from different members coming into play.
I think this is one of the more fun aspects of the song. it feels like it was something that was created in the moment, and because of that, you're sort of put in that same moment.
It is free of boundaries that you might consider to be normal, yet you can't turn it off. The impending groove is too heavy-handed. You're so easy to get into and endlessly fun, while still having a bit of a wild side all at the same time.
You can tell this is coming from a band who have a real love for their craft. While playing instruments and singing, maybe those crafts, I'm talking about putting all of that together to create unique pieces of music.
I'd love to see this performed live.
They were able to capture such a great aesthetic on the record that it just makes you want to see them in a live performance setting.
After listening to the track, I absolutely had to chat with this band. I wanted to find out more about where this came from, how they got together, and all the rest.
So, while you listen to this track, if you're not forced to get up and dance, read through the interview we have with the band below.
Dig into this track now because it's a fun one and well worth your time to say the very least.
TSWS: Let's talk about "Cannibal "! This song hit with a smooth undertone and then became so lush! A wild and theatrical approach! Where did this track come from?
Thanks! It's interesting you said "theatrical approach" becuase half of the band comes from a theatrical background, so that totally makes sense. The song definitely has some bluster to it. The track spawned from a weird lyrical refrain I kept hearing in my head, the line "outside looking in," and it seemed kind of playful and sarcastic and relatable. We built everything around that refrain. If it's a feeling you can identify with, being on the outside, then you know exactly where it comes from. Unfortunately, there is a lot of gatekeeping in creative fields. Definitely in music. Our approach is the opposite. We try and be as open and collaborative as possible with the other bands on our bills, with producers, with each other... Any creative act should be fullfilling and surprising, with lots of twists and turns along the way. And in the case of the song, a little homage to the old motown breakdowns in the end. Other than that, the song is a valid reason to dance, if one is required.
TSWS: I'm hearing a few different approaches to this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
The scope of music the band listens to is pretty wide. There might be an idea someone got from a Gang of Four record, or an idea from some old Tom Waits B-side one of the guys is obsessed with. Talking Heads, Idles, Fontaines DC, even Kneecap. In the past our writing was a lot mellower and Elliott Smith and Will Oldham were the tunes in our ears, but lately the ideas getting us excited are all way more upbeat. When people come out to a show we want to give them a reason to move their bodies. And they can vicariously blow off some steam with us on the heavier more post-punk stuff. It feels good to play loud. It feels good to put the anger or helplessness that creeps in during these trying times into the shows. The bands really influencing us right now are the ones who have something to say and are saying it with their full chest. We get inspired by how it feels when we hear them and then replicate it in our own way. Through our own filter. The connection might be murky when looking at it from the outside, but it's there. Like a little secret tether linking us to those musicians, who we respect so much.
TSWS: Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?
We tracked live, all together, in the studio. Matt Lynch with Mysterious Mammal Recording is our man in the studio, fortunately for us. He's incredible. Truly. He has an incredible ear and is so mellow that even when stuff feels like it's going sideways, he bends it back around. This song and several others were done with him at The Compound in Long Beach. It was an extremely satisfying experience. Many un-credited cats, feral and otherwise, were also involved. They were there first.
TSWS: Do you guys write songs together, or is there one main songwriter that brings ideas back to the group?
Tyler and I are the principal songwriters, but Peter and Kenny certainly have creative input. Most of the time, Tyler or I will have an idea, we'll start to flesh it out alone, get it as far as we can, then bring in the other to check our work. Like, is this crazy? Does this make sense? It's great having two songwriters in the band because there's never a lack of new songs to work on. If I need help on lyrics, Tyler can shoot me a dozen extra verses. If he needs help on a melody, my ear will hear something his doesn't. We've been writing together like this since we were in high school so the level of trust we have in each other is unmatched.
When we've gotten enough shape into a song we bring it to rehearsal and have Kenny and Peter kick the tires. So it changes and grows again from there. Some of the songs, like Cannibal, are never really played the same twice. There's room to breath and improvise subtly on the inside of the structure we made. It keeps us all on our toes. Lots of our songs develop weird little pockets of space where they change every time.
TSWS: How did this all start for you as a band?
Tyler and I have been playing and writing together forever. Not even as an official band. Just as best friends who are obsessed with music and storytelling. I've played in other bands with Peter. Peter played in other bands with Kenny. At some point around Covid, we were all sitting around with a ton of musical ideas and no bands to express them in. These guys are all my favorite musicians. All the top of the food chain of what they do well. It was luck that everyone was free at the same time. We had a rehearsal to see how it felt and left with the bones of two songs. One of them was a post=punk jam in 7/7 that felt so crazy to play none of us could stop smiling. We were having so much fun. After playing in a lot of other bands, some of us were feeling pretty jaded. This project brought us all back to life. Felt clean, somehow. Reignited the spirit of why were were doing it in the first place.
TSWS: Are you performing live right now?
Oh yeah. Every chance we get. Mainly up and down California. A lot of our shows are obviously in Los Angeles, because it's where we're based, but we've been getting out, too. Long Beach has a cool scene that we've been loving. Some great bands down there right now and people hungry for killer music. We've been up north to the bay area, San Diego, all over. We're getting out to the desert for a show in a month and that will be fun to check out what's happening there. I love Joshua Tree and how it feels out there, so I'm excited.
TSWS: Now that this is out, what's next for you?
Slowly taking over the world, one downtown bar at a time. Either that or we're going to keep releasing new stuff that we've got in the can. When we recorded with Mysterious Mamal we banked a handful of songs that we're chipping away at which will soon be compiled into a full release. While we knock those off one at a time, we'll be playing in a downtown near you. And if not, holler at us and maybe we can come make it happen.
TSWS: Who's in all your headphones right now?
We're going to see the Viagra Boys next week and we're stoked. I just discoverd a band called Fountain, that I love. I think they broke up, but they're insanely good. Happy Casualties are our buds and always in rotation. Tyler is usually listening to Fontaines DC and probably has some Albert King on at his house because he plays a Flying V, too.
TSWS: What would you tell people they can expect on this release?
You can expect something to tap your foot to and move your ass, too. It's fun, if that's what you came for. Some of it's jagged on the corners, if that's what you came for. It's got a message somewhere in there, if that's what you came for. It won't be exactly like what's in your playlist now, but it will hopefully catch your ear and be in your playlist tomorrow. The stuff we're putting out now is all relatively different from each other on the surface, but there is a thread and a through-line that somehow makes sense. These songs are a bunch of different planets in the same Universe.
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?
Thank you. For supporting music. For supporting musicians. When you go see a band, buy some vinyl or a shirt or a sticker, if you like what they're doing. Even a high-five feels good. But thank you for giving the tunes we hear in our head, a listen in your head. Music is important. It always has been, and in these bizarre and unhinged times, it gets even more important. We care about helping people feel something when they listen to our stuff, or see us play, because that feeling is what keeps all of us odd little bags of water connected to each other. Cheers.
