Face Value, who hail from Maryland, have recently released their EP Growing Up Young. The EP holds nine tracks of relentless energy and impeccable riffs while also featuring two slower songs, showing their softer side. Face Value's sound seems to be rooted in early 2000s pop punk with a feel-good vibe that makes it easy to compare them to the bands such as The Starting Line and Yellowcard. However, they also display a more updated sound similar to Handguns and Forever Came Calling. Each song has an unforgettable chorus, which will leave you singing along after only a few listens. The band kindly answered some questions for us about Growing Up Young, where they got their band name from and their plans for the rest of summer...
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Face Value is from the suburbs North of Baltimore City, Maryland.
HOW DID FACE VALUE FORM?
Face Value was originally formed by current lead singer, and rhythm guitarist, Alec Myers, and former lead guitarist Garret Heydt, under the band name "Out to See" in early 2012. Shortly after the formation, the band recruited current drummer Jeremiah "Jeb" Douglas, and former member Kyle Ritter to do lead vocals. Living so close to each other, sharing a mutual love of late 90's, early 2000's pop punk, and being best friends was the basis that allowed Out to See to begin writing their first demos and playing their first shows in the Baltimore area. Witnessing the departure of initial members Kyle and Garret, and then undergoing some role changing, the band emerged as Face Value after brothers Parker Ross and Grayson Ross joined the band, meshing their unique pop rock and effect-driven sound with the fundamental raw punk tendencies Alec and Jeremiah gravitated towards.
WHERE DID YOU GET THE NAME FACE VALUE FROM?
Although it may sound cliche, we got the name "Face Value" from a New York based pop punk band called With the Punches. Needless to say we definitely enjoyed With the Punches, and still do, even though they broke up. "Face Value" is not only a title of a song they had wrote, it is also a name that carries an idea and an attitude. "From the clothes you wear, to the car you drive, to the company you keep, they’re all just worthless commodities". It may sounds simple and sharp at first, but I think it is a line that carries a lot of weight, as well as the song in its entirety. To us, Face Value means being yourself, and not judging people by their face value. Life is more then just material things and how you look, and who you want to look like. Don't cover up who you really are, don't think celebrities and magazines are a good representation of how you should live your life. "Find your own personality, a heavy dose of humility, and you might not be a joke, to everyone around you."
TELL US A BIT ABOUT GROWING UP YOUNG...
To start off "Growing up Young" is not an EP written by one guy and it is not an EP full of bullshit. To us "Growing up Young" is an honest album simply about trying to stay young throughout all of the adversity life throws at you. Losing someone you love sucks, addiction sucks, break-ups suck and we think a lot of people will let these experiences slowly degrade them into a state of self-pity and sadness. The all-too-familiar trials and tribulations of life will definitely push you to the brink of giving up, but maintaining a positive and youthful attitude and worrying about yourself sometimes will never be a bad thing. We think the songs on our EP our very relatable, and they were not written necessarily for the sole purpose to be relatable to others, but were a way for us in Face Value to cope with our problems and sadness through music.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG FROM GROWING UP YOUNG AND WHY?
Car Door is definitely our personal favorite song of the album. It is a break-up song, but I still think it is a great culmination of all of our musical styles as a band. It combines the vocal melody heavy pop punk we love with some of the harder faster punkier, pop punk that is becoming prevalent with the modern scene. The vocals are very clean and melodic yet the instrumentation still contains some beatdowny post choruses, and some double time, that really put and edge on the poppier elements. I think the song is very accessible to anyone who enjoys the genre.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE ARTWORK FOR GROWING UP YOUNG?
In some way, shape, or form, we got the idea of corn. Alec our vocalist lives near a lot of cornfields, maybe Jeb ate corn that day, but for some reason we got stuck on the idea of a cornfield. We talked to good amount of graphic designers and ended up going with a guy named Chris Pappas. He really brought the idea to life and we are super happy with how the art turned out. We are currently sticking with the idea that corn grows pretty fast so in the most literal sense possible, corn gorws up young. That's all we got.
IF YOU COULD PLAY A SHOW WITH ANY BAND WHO WOULD IT BE?
Blink-182. I think every kid who starts a band in high school wants to play a show with blink-182. It is a very universal dream. With the Punches or The Story so Far could be cool shows too.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT FACE VALUE WE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW...
Our favorite fun fact is that Jeb, our drummer, was originally asked to play piano in the band but after watching him behind a kiddy drumset for the first time, we know he was meant to bang on stuff. We actually have a video of the first time we heard Jeb drumming. We are embarrassingly moshing and skating in our former member Kyles' garage in front of a kiddie drumset.
WHAT ARE FACE VALUE'S PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER?
Face Value are monetarily recuperating after our first tour and are currently in talks with some new sound engineers to record a few new songs for a split potentially coming out this Fall. Mainly though we are going to be playing around Baltimore, trying to get some more exposure, promoting the new EP, and just having a good time. We will be printing physical copies of the EP for sale online and at shows, as well as getting some new merch such as shirts and stickers to be selling online and at shows.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FIVE FAVOURITE POP PUNK ALBUMS?
1. Take off Your Pants and Jacket: Blink-182
2. The Young and the Hopeless : Good Charlotte
3. When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes : Yellowcard
4. The Upsides: Wonder Years
5. Under Soil and Dirt: The Story so Far
Face Value's Facebook | Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment