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We’re very excited to have some time today with acclaimed and award-winning alternative pop trio Recess; greetings and salutations gang and welcome to Vents Magazine! Before we dive into the proverbial Q&A mosh-pit, could you each say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive reading audience?
– Hello. So glad you are here with us. The name is Alex, and I play guitar for Recess.
– I’m Anthony! I produce, write, play keyboard, fly about on keytar, and swing a sword around on stage!
– Hey!! My name is Vincent and I sing, write, and create our dynamic light shows for live! We are Recess out of Cleveland, Ohio! We’re a theatrical alternative trio. The best way to describe us is by quoting our social media bio: “We make music that makes you feel Ike you’re in the movies”!
Major congratulations on your freshly-minted new single The Sound of Giving Up! Alex, what’s the story behind one of the very best new singles of 2024? What inspired this gem of a ditty?
– “The Sound of Giving Up” is a song that was conceived during the uncertainty of 2020 and the effects it had on us as an artist. The unknown place in which we’d in be post uncontrollable musical hiatus was a heartbreaking thought. From that feeling came a demo in Anthony‘s phone, which he temporarily titled “Underwater Song.” It referenced the drowning synth sound at the beginning. Within just a couple weeks it had become something really special. Once we eventually got to play it live, we knew this was going to be a very important Recess song. 3) Vincent, who did the producing honors on The Sound of Giving Up and what did the collaboration between band and producer look like while inside the studio fashioning and shaping the new tune? – The production honors go to Anthony. I have part in the writing and occasionally add parts and stuff like that. Anthony, on the other hand, leads our production. We all chip in, but he knows how to steer the song into the right direction. Overall, Anthony takes the production reigns while we all work together to make everything get done and sound it’s best.
Anthony, what differentiates The Sound of Giving Up from the Distinguished Competition in the 2024 music scene?
– The Cleveland music scene and a lot of musicians as of late are super talented. I would say “The Sound of Giving Up” really sticks out through its mix of raw emotion and authentic sound / lyricism with a synthetic and lofi type twist. Also, Vincent’s particularly original and intense vocal ability is a big qualifier when trying to find distinction from other artists.
A question for all of you: Who are you inspired by, musically-speaking?
– Anthony: I take big inspiration from things that I find new. Sounds and songs that I feel break the mold in a good way. Djo and Chappell Roan are really caught my ear recently. Certain movie soundtracks and orchestrations are also hugely inspirational when creating songs. Same with certain synth pop, indie, and rock artists. There’s just too many to name.
– Alex: Our band drew a lot of our inspiration for our sound when we began writing music we felt properly defined us in 2013. It started with powerhouse artists like OneRepublic, Imagine Dragons, and Coldplay, and, to this day, I still think those are the best comparisons. 2013 OneRepublic mixed with 2016 Coldplay and 2012 Imagine Dragons, to be specific. We inspire from a number of great artists across multiple genres; from Hans Zimmer all the way to Disney Soundtracks. My favorite part of our seeds of inspiration is that we never do exactly the same thing twice. It’s always a unique spin that we’re very proud of.
– Vincent: We’re inspired by a variety of music, but the most prevalent would be found in movie / video game soundtracks alongside artists like Imagine Dragons, Gorillaz, Twenty One Pilots, and OneRepublic, just to name a few.
Anthony, in the wake of the release of the new Recess single The Sound of Giving Up, can fans look forward to a possible EP or LP release before the end of the year, or perhaps in early 2025?
– For now, we’ve decided to focus on single releases, but the idea of compiling each single on to and EP with each last song in a series is definitely not off the table. We love creating the art and stories leading to our EP releases, so I wouldn’t put it past us to do so. What I can officially say is: definitely look forward to a music video for “The Sound of Giving Up” and one of our best song releases to date towards to end of this year and into 2025. It’s absolutely going to be a song you’ll want to look out for.
Vincent, what does the touring/performing dance card for Recess look like in the coming weeks and months?
– We have three dates officially announced and coming up right now. We’ve had a ton of fun through out the summer being able to play almost every single week! For right now, we are playing The Grape Jamboree in Geneva September 28th, State Champs Coffee Shop’s Tiny Shop Concert Series in Kent, and last, for the time being, is The Dirty Pop Party (21+) at Crobar in Cleveland!
Anthony, Recess hails from the beautiful state of Ohio! How do those specific roots inform the sound and energy of the band?
– Ohio has always been a tough state to impress musically. I think having that high standard has really helped us hone in on our craft, be a step ahead when it comes to live performances and putting on a quality show, and created an environment within our group in which we put our complete and best selves into everything we try to do. Also, watching bands like Twenty One Pilots create that high standard for the state and show how much you have to push to work your way up is hugely inspiring to all musicians here.
Alex, Recess won Best Alternative Band at the 2023 Cleveland Music Awards; belated kudos and accolades! Did receiving that sort of recognition from people inside the music industry feel like a validation for all of the hard work which you, Anthony and Vincent have put into the band over the last ten years?
– Receiving recognition from our hometown as Best Alternative Band of 2023 was definitely a huge accomplishment for us. We’ve been around as a band since 2008, starting writing in 2013-14, and have never won any sort of competition or award throughout. We felt so gratuitous and honored to be validated by the city of Cleveland, which we love so much. The funny part about this story is that winning the award actually became our second win as a band ever. The first was just a month earlier that year at Medina County Battle of the Bands.
Vincent, any final thoughts you might like to share with readers and fans regarding the new Recess single The Sound of Giving Up?
– My final thoughts on our single would be to please give it a listen. You will not be disappointed! This song means a lot to us, and we’d love for others to listen and take away something of their own from it. We try to make music everybody can relate to in their own way. I’m so thankful for the people that have / will listen to us, and even moreso for those who come see us live! Lastly, follow us @RecessOfficial on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X! There we post behind the scenes videos and pictures along with announcements and other content! You can also find us on all streaming platforms!!
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