Orange County's Fury have caused ripples in the waters of hardcore from the day they hit the scene in 2014, riding the lines between hardcore and punk and never fully settling into either. Their critically acclaimed 2017 breakthrough, Paramount, shows all of the telltale influences of NYHC from years past, while managing to maintain its own distinct personality and never skidding into redundancy.
Having just completed a jaunt with Power Trip and Sheer Mag, vocalist Jeremy Stith talked to us about the band's new, forthcoming second full-length record (arriving this fall via Run for Cover), the concept of paying tribute versus ripping shit off and how director Wim Wenders helped him find his "place in the cosmos."
YOU GUYS TAKE CLASSIC INFLUENCES AND MIX THEM UP FOR A MODERN TAKE ON THE GENRE. THAT SAID, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF BANDS IN HARDCORE WITH SOMETHING NEW TO SAY? OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE STRONGEST INFLUENCES ARE FROM BANDS THAT ARE GONE?
I think there a lot of bands in hardcore with nothing to say, let alone something new or even clever. However, I think there are enough bands that make beautiful, succinct records that make me want to reevaluate my ways and how deep I'm set in them. The Unified Right LP and all the Total Control records do to me what a movie like Brazil or Wings of Desire did to me, which is give me perspective on my place in the cosmos, taking a squeegee to my third eye. Sharpened an awareness and all that. I can't tell you my thoughts or feelings about whether people are more influenced by the past or not, but I think the art that comes out of a reaction from your contemporaries and current climate is richer than art emulating yesteryear.
CONSIDERING THE LIFE-SPAN OF MOST HARDCORE BANDS, WHAT ARE SOME ACTS THAT YOU LOOK TO FOR LONGEVITY'S SAKE, IN OR OUT OF GENRE?
I look at bands and people like the Fall or the Tragically Hip or Mark Kozelek or Nick Cave and get jealous of their ability to keep making interesting art year after year over a long career. Hardcore is very time and place, and a young person's game, but it's not impossible to make honest and well done records into your adult life [like] Step Forward, 108, etc. I think Milk Music will make great records until they're pushing daisies. Same with Alex G. I like how Total Control conducts themselves as a band. Parquet Courts don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Bands seem to be like marriages. If it's not natural and mutual then you can only fake the funk for so long, you know?
YOU'VE JUST SIGNED TO RUN FOR COVER. WHAT WAS THE IDEA BEHIND THAT MOVE? ARE THERE PLANS ON EVOLVING YOUR SOUND A BIT?
There wasn't some big idea or scheme, we wrote a new record and they came to us with an offer to release it. We went with them because they're allowing us to make the record we want to make without comprises and giving us a bigger outlet to share it than we'd ever thought possible when we started the band. It's a miracle, I feel lucky to continue to do this. The plan is to always evolve, whether it's the art or our lives. The record RFC is putting out is the same record that we would've put out ourselves, the logo on the back of the sleeve ain't gonna change the music contained inside.
WHEN CAN WE EXPECT THE NEW RECORD?
The record is all tracked, all that's left is mixing and mastering. Looks like it'll hit shelves and the 1s and 0s sometime in the fall.
ANY TOURING PLANS THROUGH THE END OF 2018?
We go on tour June 14th–27th with Turnstile in Europe, then we play Sound and Fury in downtown L.A. on July 14th. We might play some shows on the days following that fest and then in August, we'll play Suburban Fight Weekend in Orange County. We'll be doing a U.S. tour around the time the record comes out too and then some international gigs to round out the end of the year.
