Virginia-based pop punk band Underdog Champs are set to release their upcoming EP, Skeletons in Daylight on February 24th, 2017.
Having played a countless number of shows on the East coast US, Underdog Champs are looking to expand, giving listeners a slick combination of catchy pop/rock hooks and powerful lyrics. The band will be embarking on a promotional tour for Skeletons in Daylight in early March to coincide with its’ release. Underdog Champs are Nick Jones
Mark Bradley, Justin David Mason and Josh Bailey. You can check out the band’s latest single Hear Me Out, which features on the EP, below!
We managed to catch up with the band as they talked about the upcoming release, proudest moment, funniest moment on tour and more!
So you guys are going to release Skeletons in Daylight, how pumped are you to release this?
We are incredibly excited! We have been working really hard for the last year and a half on all of the songs. Since we only released a handful of songs initially, we’ve been really excited to put out as many songs as possible to establish our sound to everyone. The EP is our best work yet, and we’ve been itching for everyone to hear it.
Tell us a little bit about this release
Skeletons is a pretty diverse collection of songs that we have written over the past year. It’s tied together by the common theme vices – the skeletons in the closet. There are aggressive songs, pop punk songs, a ballad, and some songs that push the boundaries of what we thought our sound was. We just wrote the best songs we could and did not think about genre or sound.
What is your favourite song from the EP?
Mark – My favorite song at the moment is Safe in the Dark. I enjoy songs that are fun to play live, and that song kicks off the album so well. It’s got the duel vocals, it’s dynamic, and it’s the first song we wrote where we decided to make a full EP
Nick – I enjoy Coming Clean because it’s musically interesting for the players while not taking the focus away from the vocals. I also enjoy the lyrical choices that Mark made. That song really pushed us in a different direction that’s new but not out of place on the EP.
Josh – I currently have two favorites. I enjoy safe in the dark the most live because it helps me hone in my live vocals and get comfortable singing. Coming clean pushed me out of my comfort zone genre wise and the bass line in the second verse is fire.
Justin – I like walls because it pushed me as a musician. There is so much energy when we play it live that I cannot NOT get into it. Nick also slays in the song. We refer to that part at the end as the “Dance Gavin Dance” section and that makes me happy.
How has Hear Me Out gone down with fans?
People who have heard the song so far really enjoy it. They mostly comment on the guitar lines, how Nick pretty much just shreds the entire song and that they enjoy hearing Mark and him sing back and forth in the chorus. It’s a really different song than anything we’ve done and anything else on the EP, so we are glad it went over well!
Are you guys looking forward to the tour in March?
Each of us enjoys studio work, writing songs, and being creative but we all collectively love playing live the most. It’s really exciting to see the Spring take shape with tons of new venues, cities, stages that we get to play and hopefully win over some new people. We love connecting with people like us who are willing to listen to anything and truly fall in love with new music.
How much do your fans mean to you?
We don’t really consider anyone a “fan”, just a friend who we haven’t met yet! It means the world that what we do resonates with someone. Seeing someone post our lyrics or come to a show singing the words makes us feel like what we do matters. We will always continue to write and record music, but it really feels good to know that someone enjoys it.
If you could work with any artist or band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Mark – I think it would be amazing to work with someone like Mark Hoppus who has worked on a variety of projects and never has put out a bad song. He has an insane sense for what is catchy, yet never overtly so.
Nick – Donald Glover, AKA Childish Gambino – he is a true Renaissance man. It would be great to just speak with him while we work on music.
Josh – It would be gnarly to work with Every Time I Die on a song. We all love heavier music and take a lot of influence as musicians from that band.
Justin – Let me say the Maine or 1975 so I’m different from you guys! But really, the Maine are amazing and I’d love to work on something in that style that just vibes out and is catchy.
What has been your proudest moment to date?
We were able to play with one of our favorite bands, Conditions, last September for their reunion show. It was a huge show and a super emotional moment for all of us who have looked up to them so much over the years. We hope they know how much that night meant to us.
What has been your funniest moment on tour?
Josh definitely almost drank out of one of Mark’s many pee bottles in the mini van… Needless to say we make him throw those out now.