A new EP release from Full Throttle hits a damn near perfect pop punk soundscape with tons of endless energy, creative riffs, and boisterous close that all come through with this vivacious character and it creates a classic atmosphere that makes you want to jump around the living room and sing along.
The Premature EP hits all the sweet spots you could possibly want from a solid and high-octane pop-punk record and the whole thing just feels good to listen to because not only do you have the humor, the fun, the color, the edginess, and the energy, but you also have this persona that lets all these songs sort of wrap themselves around you.
One of my favorite aspects about this record is the sheer fact that they blend that vintage genre style in with their sound and because of that there's a little bit of a nostalgic undertone for me because I grew up with a lot of this stuff and believe me when I tell you these guys hit that aesthetic on the head.
As a matter of fact, some of these songs for me felt like they could have actually served as the soundtrack to certain chapters in my own life and that is something I don't come across often so hearing it here was very refreshing and welcoming for me.
The drumming on this record is outstanding and is super in the pocket but also wild at heart which gives these songs an added drive and pushes the envelope in terms of helping create the band's massive presence.
Some of the bass tones on this are just outstanding and there are definitely some surprises around some of the corners of this record but all in all you can really feel that this was created with a heart and a love for their craft.
When I say that, I don't mean their instruments alone, I mean writing solid, catchy, and fun pop punk songs and in order to do that you have to be a band that really doesn't take themselves too seriously because the music has to have this loose humor to it as well for it to work properly and these guys are perfect at all of those aspects.
This is an anthemic and youthful release from a band that is paving their own path in the punk rock world and they're doing a damn good job at it by releasing music that has a familiarity to it and also feels good when you listen to it. It gets your blood pumping, it gets you moving, it has you singing, and a lot of these hooks across the record stick with you and bounce around in your head for hours or even days after the songs have ended.
Getting back to that energy level, this is something that really hit hard for me because sometimes a release like this can have really good songs but that energy just isn't all the way there and this can really put a stint in the full sound of everything.
These guys pull everything off with such a crazy energy that it feels like they're almost live performances and this makes you want to actually see them live in your face because if the energy on the record was captured this well, then seeing them live must be awesome.
This is an attribute that I love about real good punk bands whether it's pop-punk or thrash punk or skate-punk, it really doesn't matter to me.
That energy level has to be spot on for it to have that impact that they're looking for and when you listen to songs on the record it's supposed to make you want to go see them live.
With the release of such a well-woven and performed record, we wanted to have a sit-down with Full Throttle to find out where this came from and what might be coming up next for the band.
Here's what happened.
FULL THROTTLE are
Max McGill – guitar and vocals age 17
Evan Levite – bass and backups age 17
Kaelin Chase – drums age 18
Buzz Slayers: Okay, let's start with the Premature EP! This had tons of character to it and it came through with a classic pop-punk tonality! How did this release come about?
We started writing songs about 3 years ago and before the EP came out we had previously released 4 singles. They all got a great response from people who listened, and that really got us itching to put together either an album or an EP. We had a lot of songs we wanted to get out there to the public, so we were very excited to be able to record this EP. It was released on Lemmon records, and we recorded it with our Producer Siegfried Meier.
Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you as a band?
Evan and I (Max) were friends since we were really young, and we always shared a love for music. After going to an elementary school that focused on the arts, we started playing a lot more music and each started playing guitar. At lunch we would go into the music room and play guitar together, learning our favourite songs. Inspired by all the bands we listened to, we wanted to start our own band, and after finding Kaelin from a Facebook video we asked him to jam, and the rest is history.
Buzz Slayers: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
I think the biggest reoccurring theme in our songs is living as a teenager and all the ups and downs of it. Still being in high school gives us a lot of inspiration, as there’s constantly stuff going on that we can write about.
Buzz Slayers: This release has some great approaches to it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
Our biggest influences would be all the 90’s skate punk bands we love to listen to. Blink-182, Green day, NOFX. On top of that we love The Replacements, The Wonder Years, Teenage Bottlerocket. Kaelin takes a lot of hip hop influence in his drumming, and Evans signature bass playing comes from a lot of funk he listens to as well.
Buzz Slayers: What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
Evan and I (Max) are in grade 12 at the moment, so when we’re not working on music, we’re usually doing homework or going to class. It’s safe to say we’re pretty busy when you put football and hockey on top of that as well. Kaelin graduated last year and he’s keeping busy working at a local music store and giving customers his drumming wisdom. Music is definitely a constant though. No matter what we’re doing we’re always thinking about music and writing songs.
Buzz Slayers: Who's in all your headphones right now?
We’re all loving Blink-182’s new album. We got a chance to see them this year and it was a big moment for us, as when we started playing together, we were basically a blink-182 tribute band. Having Tom Delonge back in the band is just awesome. We’ve been getting big into bands like Joyce Manor and Anxious lately too. We got a chance to see Anxious play with The Wonder Years this year and they blew us away.
Buzz Slayers: Are you guys doing any live performances right now?
This year's starting to fill up for us already. Right now, we’re playing January 20th at The Bunker in Toronto, January 26th at The Mansion in Kingston, February 6th at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, and many more to come!
Buzz Slayers: Do you record these at a big studio, or do you have a home studio set-up?
We record all our demos at Kaelin's house, he’s got a great home studio set up there. It’s a nice comfortable space where we can just hang out and bang out some demos. We recorded the EP however at Beach Road Studios with Siegfried Meier. It’s an awesome studio where we got to stay all week, and Sieg is an awesome guy who was great to work with. It was a great experience overall.
Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
We’re hoping to get back in the studio soon, so keep your eyes open for more new music in the future. But until then, we’re keeping up with playing lots of live shows!
Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Thank you so much to everybody who’s been listening to Premature! We couldn’t do any of this without the fans. We’re looking forward to seeing everybody at the next show!
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