Interview: Black It Out - OriginalRock.net

When did the initial idea for your latest single come together?

I (Shaun) wrote “There’s Not Enough Penicillin in the World to Save You” featuring All Systems Go during a weekend at home from college in 2008. I wrote it super late at night. I think I started around 1 or 2 AM and ended around 5 or 6 AM. I remember taking my acoustic guitar into the garage so I wouldn’t wake my mom, but my weird neighbor knocked on the garage door. He chilled with me for a bit, and I think he left money at my house. I asked him about it later, and he denied it. I’m pretty sure he was still in high school and was probably dealing drugs. It was bizarre. I can’t remember what we chatted about, but it was odd. The whole conversation caused me to stay up later to write the song. But, I wrote it.

How would you describe the track, to a reader that is unfamiliar with the band?

The track starts with Bryan singing in a breathy tone over an acoustic guitar. Then it explodes in the chorus with me singing with harmonies. The guitar has an awesome octave lead too. The 2^nd verse has Bryan singing in a harsh tone with an electric guitar. Group vocals emphasize certain lyrics that are important. Then the chorus returns. The bridge begins with a fun bass riff, and then All Systems Go sings the bridge. Halfway through, they sing the bridge higher and in harmony. It’s great. Then the chorus returns, but twice for the last time. Then Bryan’s voice ends the song. It’s a good one!

Can you tell us a bit more about the meaning behind the track?

The song was about an ex-girlfriend I had in high school. Around that time I wrote the song, she contacted me for the first time in several years, so I was thinking about how screwed up that relationship was. Her family was beyond Christian and talked down to my family and me. They were so religious that they wouldn’t let her hang out with me and made us break up several times. The final time we broke up, she was going down a dark path, and there was nothing I could do for her. My dad died too, so I wasn’t in a good place. After we broke up, she did things her religion was entirely against. I heard many awful things about her through the grapevine, but I won’t mention that stuff here. Listen to the song, and you’ll better grasp what happened. Her mom and her dad came to my house, separately and on different occasions, to ask me to hang out with their daughter again. Seriously, the dad made me have lunch with him to have me ask if I could date his daughter. After lunch, he told me no. Why did they come to my mom’s house to ask me to hang out with their daughter? Of course, I told them no.

How would you say that the track compares to anything you’ve done before?

Bryan sings on this track. It’s the first song he’s sung in a long time, and he did great! The song is also a diss track without saying what the person did. The track is supposed to be funny and not meant to be taken seriously.

What was the hardest part about putting it together, and why?

The hardest part for me was not wanting to release the song. I’m over the whole situation that the song is about, but Bryan convinced me to do it. Then recording the vocals to Bryan’s specifications. I was doing it in a traditional Pop-Punk tone, but Bryan wanted me to do it closer to the original. So, I did and that was kind of tough for some reason.

Why should a reader check out the track?

It’s a super well-written song that talks shit without saying specifics of what happened. The song has an extremely catchy chorus, and the verses have very quotable lines.

What else can you tell us about the track, that we haven’t covered in this interview?

We have a music video out for the song that features hilarious puppets. Plus, we have a bulldog drummer that goes way too hard! You should check it out!

There’s Not Enough Penicillin in the World to Save You feat. All Systems Go – Black It Out – YouTube

Spotify link to the song: