When did the initial idea for your latest single come together?
Destin Cavazos (Bass/Vocals): Retrograde was actually another one of the earlier tracks we did when we were starting to do. Our debut album. Alec and I had been staying at our parents’ house during COVID lockdown time and we started playing a lot of music….it was almost like we were kids again. So we had a couple that we finished early on and recorded as soon as it was safe to leave the bunker. Those did well on the radio so we committed to doing a whole album. When we got to Retrograde, I got to this idea about that weird place you get to when you find yourself all of a sudden thinking about this random person you thought you were over. I don’t know if it was the whole isolation of COVID or whatever but that theme kept coming back and we got it down pretty quick.
How would you describe the track, to a reader that is unfamiliar with the band?
Destin: I think the song is another great example of who we are as a band these days. In the early days it was a straight up, pop-punk sound cause that’s what we wanted to play. It’s still that at the core but the song takes those pieces and then adds to it to round it out to a more alt-rock, pop punky, anthem type song.
Can you tell us a bit more about the meaning behind the track?
Destin: Like I said it’s basically about when you start to catch yourself thinking about someone you thought you got over; you find them slipping into your dreams, you’re remembering all the positive aspects about them, and you start to trick yourself into thinking “oh wow my life is really terrible without this person”. You end up fighting yourself, fighting all the growth it’s taken to get over that person, and so this song is about losing out to that emotional side of yourself.
How would you say that the track compares to anything you’ve done before?
Alec Cavazos (Guitar/Vocals): I think like a lot of the new stuff we’re writing, like Destin said it’s still got that pop-punk root vibe in there but just expanded. When we were first writing songs we kept it pretty simple to just guitar, bass, drums and vocals cause that’s what we were. But then as we grew as songwriters and learned to collaborate better, we learned how to just add layers when needed. But as far as how it came together it pretty much followed the same pattern as most of our songs. Usually we bring songs we had written independently then bring them to each other to figure out where they should go. So he taught me the chords to start and then knew we needed a riff to hook the listener, and most of my riffs come from the same little box just moved around. The melody for the riff came fairly quick between the both of us and it just fit really well.
What was the hardest part about putting it together, and why?
Alec: For sure it was the process of trying to record anything, album or just Retrograde, during a pandemic. Destin and I were together but Henry (drummer, Henry Kish) was in a totally different state. Recording was done in parts when we could just get into the studio, whether it was all three of us or just one doing overdubs or vocals. The drums we always just leave up to Henry. Maybe we send him a few songs or like small ideas but neither Destin or I know what we are doing, so Henry is the glue that puts it all together….but we had to safely all get into the studio to track stuff.
Why should a reader check out the track?
Destin: Retrograde is just a really great song that has the fast beat, has some hooks, and it’s a relatable theme for most people. It’s a good look into exPorter that’s just really “grown up” as a band. What else can you tell us about the track, that we haven’t covered in this interview?
Alec: Well, for the video we were able to get a lot of the footage from some of the first shows we did after COVID started easing up. It was at the local fair and it was fricken PACKED. People were really itching to get out and do anything so there was like 10,000 people almost every night of the fair. So yeah, we can brag that we’ve played to 10,000 before…don’t matter that maybe people were there for just about anything or JUST to get out of the house, but the stats are the stats 😊
YouTube: https://youtu.be/fH5nqgOSAOE
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6xkGXNHcLeESRG8018S28R?si=4d334edf66d04cdf