Still riding the high from their immensely successful 2017, pop-rock sextet Sub-Radio are showing no signs of slowing down this year. With their EP, Headfirst out on April 18th two new singles, “What Are We” and “Flashback” out now and shows planned throughout the entire summer, 2018 promises to be yet another massive year for Sub-Radio, and it’s the band’s excitement for all things to come that makes them so inviting and fun to listen to.
Following a series of singles released last year, Headfirst marks some of Sub-Radio’s most focused work to date. For this release, the band took the time to not only explore new sounds, but also found themselves writing around a central theme of seizing the day and diving headfirst into life. Listen to the EP’s first single, “What Are We” and learn a little bit more about Sub-Radio before Headfirst is out below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Sub-Radio for anyone who might not be familiar?
Matt: We’re a Washington-DC based indie pop band who likes to wear floral prints and play music you can wiggle your butt to. We also really love dogs.
You had an incredibly busy 2017, from countless shows and festival appearances to a series of singles that you released. What was the highlight of the last year for you?
Barry: It’s safe to say that playing two different slots at Firefly last year was an absolute highlight. It was an incredible experience to share the music that we had spent writing earlier that year for everyone to hear, and it was a huge learning opportunity for us in terms of how we can make our live performance a more memorable experience.
How would you like 2018 to top that?
Matt: We always want to build on what we’re doing. I think that with all this new music we’re releasing there’s no way 2018 couldn’t be even better. We’ve had some of these songs written for a while so we’re pumped to finally have them out there. We’re also planning on performing in a bunch of new areas and that’s always exciting.
You also recently released your newest single, “What Are We.” What inspired this song?
Barry: “What Are We” tackles that ambiguous space that most people call “talking”. We felt that there are so many times where people are in this sort of limbo where there’s so much uncertainty in a relationship, and we wanted to put that uneasiness and feeling into a song.
“What Are We” is from your upcoming EP, Headfirst. What would you like listeners to take away from those songs?
Matt: This entire EP gives off a very youthful vibe and I think anyone listening will be able to relate to that. There’s moments of doubt, bliss, and blind optimism on this album. Everyone’s been confused by a relationship at some point and when that happens sometimes you just want to dance until your feet hurt. This EP has all that and more.
What goals did you have in mind when you first started working on Headfirst? What would you like to accomplish with this EP?
Barry: We wanted to explore a a new sound and vibe that we had only recently been toying with. We took everything from the singles we had initially written and dug deeper into this self-loving, expressive, carpe diem theme. We wanted to bottle the experience of laying everything you have on the table with not a single regret and turn that into something palpable that all audiences can relate to. With Headfirst, we hope that people can feel the emotions we put into each song, and find a new confidence in themselves for being whoever they are. And we hope we top the charts ~*wink*~.
How do you feel you’ve grown or evolved with the writing and recording of Headfirst?
Matt: Personally I had to start being more selective with the material I brought to the group to start working with. Our previous albums have not been as focused and I feel that this EP in particular has a defined sound. Generally Adam or I will bring a half written song, guitar lick or a plucked out piano riff to the rest of the band and we’ll write the rest of the song together. I think that we all matured a lot during the writing process for this EP and now have a clear definition of what our sound is.
With your new single out now, can fans expect to hear any more new music before the EP drops next month?
Barry: We actually just released another single titled “Flashback” that’s currently available for streaming! We have some more content that we’re currently working on, but in terms of new music before the release, you’ll just have to come to a show 😉
What’s next for Sub-Radio? What other plans do you have for 2018?
Matt: We’re planning on another release later this year or early next year and hopefully a little bit of touring later in the year!
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Barry: We enjoyed the chat! We’re planning on giving 2018 our all, so give us a follow on Spotify and be sure to keep us on your radar!
STAY CONNECTED WITH SUB-RADIO: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website