A couple of months ago I was handed an album stream to review for Decibel Geek. The album was titled Continuance from US band The New Low. I wasn’t sure what to expect when reviewing this album as I had never heard of The New Low previously. But after listening to it a lot over the past couple of months, I say this band is a real shining light for US music. They have a new fan in the UK now and I will definitely be telling all my friends about The New Low. They have it all: great musicians and a superb vocalist with catchy songs. What more could you ask for? The New Low is a must if you like discovering new bands. Check out my review of Continuance here on Decibel Geek.
THE NEW LOW BIO
Salt Lake City’s The New Low features former members of Hearts & Hands, but know this, The New Low is not a new iteration nor is it a renaming and/or rebranding effort. The New Low is entirely, well, new.
The alt-metal band is its own unique entity. Three members —Fletcher Howell [bass/vocals], Garrett Garfield [vocals], and Chris Kim [guitars]— have been working together since late 2013 and they are now joined by Hiram Hernandez [guitars] and Corey Beaver [drums]. Their chemistry is solidified, as is their mutual respect for one another. You can hear it in the results, which is their earnest but electrifying debut album Continuance, which was self-produced and recorded in a basement.
It’s tempting to assume that the album nods to the members’ decision to carry on and create new music. And that’s partially true. But the title references their desire for forward progress in any and all aspects of life.
In a current, oversaturated heavy music scene full of copycat bands hell-bent to win the race to the bottom, The New Low are rising to the top and remaining buoyant, thanks to their crackling-with-intensity, artistic-meets-alternative metal style. Continuance invites the listener to ride sidecar on a sonic journey marked by twists, turns, and surprises throughout. The New Low certainly aren’t afraid to experiment and play with dynamics, to frontload their songs with molten riffs, or to get in touch with their emotional side.
THE NEW LOW INTERVIEW
Here is my first ever interview with any band, so a big thank you to The New Low for their patience. Finally guys this album is an absolute must buy.
Starchild: Hi guys, my name is Colin (Starchild), writer for Decibel Geek. I am from the UK and recently reviewed your Continuance album for our website.
When did you guys form and how long have you known each other?
Fletcher Howell: The New Low officially became a band in January 2015.
Starchild: How did you think of the name The New Low?
FH: It was actually supposed to be the name for one of the songs on our record, Continuance, but we couldn’t stop talking about how much the phrase meant to us. It perfectly represented a lot of the things that brought us together.
Starchild: How hard was it to get a record deal being as new as you are?
FH: The record deal came strangely fast. We were sending demos back and forth with our now manager. He sent it out to other people that were interested from the get go. Our relationship with our label just clicked naturally.
Starchild: What was the best thing about making this record? Any funny stories from the studio?
FH: The best part of making this record was that we did it ourselves. We locked ourselves in a basement that we turned into a home studio and just started writing. No one was there to tell us something wasn’t good enough or that we should try to stick to something in particular. We made music we loved, and with the release a year and a half later, we still love it.
We’re always funny, at least to each other. There were a lot of late nights laughing at really stupid videos.
Starchild: Having heard the album, which is fantastic by the way, what musical influences do you all have?
FH: Thank you! We all have a lot of musical influences, individually. We hope that shows for itself when listening to the record. We like everything from pop to metal to rock to R&B. You name it, someone in this band is probably into it.
Starchild: Any plans to tour Europe? I would love to see you guys live here in the UK.
FH: Hopefully soon!
Starchild: Who haven’t you toured with but would love to?
FH: Warped Tour has definitely checked a lot of those bands off the ole bucket list for sure! AFI would be rad to tour with, so would Sisqo.
Starchild: How did you guys start recording the tracks? Was it lyric based or music based first?
FH: A little of both. We just kinda dove in and laid down a bunch of ideas, vocal melodies, guitar riffs, whatever. Then we came back and added more where it felt right.
Starchild: What is your favorite track on the album and why? Mine is the opening track “Get What You Give”, it is just awesome.
FH: We definitely like that one too! Our favorite right now is probably “Not Afraid”. That song is too fun to play live.
Starchild: How is the Vans Warped Tour going? Any good stories? What has been your best show so far?
FH: Well we jumped on the second half of the tour, so we just barely got into the groove of things (especially since it’s our first tour, ever). Our hometown show in Salt Lake was insanely cool. There was just an enormous amount of love and support from our fans. Two days after the SLC show, we got bumped to the main stage in Albuquerque. That was pretty cool.
Starchild: Who has been your favorite band on the Warped Tour line up to watch?
FH: It’s impossible to choose just one. Yellowcard, Chelsea Grin, Assuming We Survive, Wage War, and Chunk, No Captain Chunk come to mind.
Starchild: What are your goals for the future of the band?
FH: We just want to tour and make music we love for forever. We’ll hopefully see you all this fall!
Thanks so much for your time and for the awesome music!
Starchild
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