An Interview With Year of October
A new album release from Year of October brings out a gritty fuzz-toned soundscape that touches on classic riot rock of the mid-90s while delivering a fresh and fiery attitude and enough energy to make you want to jump around your living room.
The Keep on Fighting album is a blitzkrieg of hard-hitting garage Rock with hints of punk undertone and loads of heart and Swagger that all come together to bring on an absolutely addictive atmosphere.
One of my favorite things about this album is the energy level because it almost feels like these songs were recorded live on the floor as the players seem to be feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.
Obviously, I could be totally wrong about that one, but either way, it certainly does make you want to see them play live so that you can get your face melted off because I'm sure that's exactly what would happen.
This LP is pretty massive and hits a few different sweet spots in terms of driving Rock in general, but it's really the band's love for the craft that helps this shine.
You can tell everyone in this band is 100% in love with what they're doing at the moment that they're doing it and those kinds of things are just oozing out all over the music.
This makes everything better and bigger and much more lovable.
The riffs are fun and songs a lot of times catch crazy grooves within that high-octane energy and become catchy within themselves which is completely refreshing with music like this.
I love albums that make you want to bang your head or get up and jump around because you don't get it that often.
This is a record that makes you want to move and it gets your blood pumping and a very unique way.
As a matter of fact, this is one of the best albums I've heard in a while to start your day with.
Sound crazy? Maybe it is a little bit but think about it.
You wake up and you're pretty tired still so it's not the easiest thing in the world to get a move on.
Blasting some Year of October will definitely get you motivated.
It's not just the energy level. It's also that catchiness and that unique soul that comes with the songs which make the album feel alive and breathing in its own right.
This was a killer and genuine garage rock record done with a loose perfection and with its release, we wanted to have a sit down with the band to find out where this all came from and what might be next for them.
Here's what happened.
Okay, let's start with the Keep On Fighting album! This record had such a massive sound and that fuzztone underneath everything! How did this album come about?
We started writing the album in 2020 during lockdown. We would get together a few times a week and just work on new stuff. I definitely think that the despair and just overall anger at the state of the world came through in the writing for the album. A lot of the songs were written with the three of us just working on an idea and the songs came into form very naturally.
How did this all start for you as a band?
Phlecia and I started the band back in 2010. Phlecia was still in college, and we had been dating for about a year and a half and we wanted to start writing music together. It started with the two of us and it was definitely more acoustic, but we always had the band idea in mind. We have had many members over the years and the sound has changed quite a bit. We look forward to continuing to grow that sound and to what challenges await.
What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
All kinds of things inspire us to write music. We are big readers and big film buffs as well. Both mediums inspire us a lot and I find myself greatly inspired from soundtracks in movies. We are also inspired by our personal lives and things that happen in everyday life. I think anything can be interesting and used to make art.
This single has some great styles on it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
Some of my favorite artists include Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Sam Cooke, Norah Jones, the Dead Weather, Nick Drake, All Them Witches, the National, the Kills, Alabama Shakes, Jack White, Otis Redding, the Beatles, and Radiohead. We listen to a lot of different styles of music, and we definitely have a lot of different influences.
What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
We like to read and watch movies quite a lot. I also am a big video game fan as well. Lately I've been playing all of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters. I've almost beaten Final Fantasy IV and it's been a blast. I am very excited for the new Zelda game to come out later this month as well.
Who's in all your headphones right now?
Lately I've been listening a lot to the Smile's latest album. It's so good and Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are two of my favorite artists. I've been wearing out Curtis Mayfield's first three albums as well; he truly was a genius and I'm glad to finally own some of his material on vinyl. I have been listening to the new album by the National as well. All Them Witches have been a mainstay in my headphones for quite a while and lately I have been wearing out their album ATW.
Are you guys doing any live performances right now?
Our spring and summer are pretty full and filling up more with shows. We are going to tour as hard as we can on this new record.
Did you record yourself or hit a big studio for this?
I have a home studio where I've recorded this album and all of our other music.
What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
We are excited for this album to be out. We will be touring a lot this summer. We also started our own record label called Watch It Burn Records. We have a Bandcamp up for that and we did our first non-Year of October release on 4/20 with the Weird Sisters. We have a lot more in store for later this year with live videos and also new music.
Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Thank you so much for your support. We truly appreciate you and it means so much to us.