Drug Church are a new(ish) band from Albany, New York. Fusing together the sounds of Quicksand and Seaweed to create something that isn’t often heard much of in circles of artists such as the ones these run in.
Their latest offering is a self-titled 7" released on No Sleep Records. A fast offering with a Washington, DC throwback to hardcore but also adhering to a more simple outlet for all involved. The first and probably strongest track on the record even features guest vocals from Jeremy Bolm of Touché Amoré. A hard-hitting contemporary hardcore record, proving to all that you can stay true to a rigid musical community whilst maintaining a unique style and blend of other elements of grunge, indie, and a youth crew kick.
Featuring Patrick Kindlon of Self Defense Family / End Of A Year, Already Heard sat down with Patrick some time back and had a little chat about upcoming things for this new project.
Already Heard: Who are we speaking to today and can you give me a quick rundown of your other members?
Patrick: This is Patrick Kindlon. Thinking about adopting an idiotic punk name. Leaning towards Pat Serva. The other members are dudes who don’t own cell phones and eat at Burger King. I’ll get back to you about their punk names.
AH: If you had to do an elevator pitch of Drug Church, what would you say?
Patrick: Seaweed meets Snapcase siphoned throug a filter of kids who survived the nu-metal explosion.
<a href=“http://drugchurch.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled” data-mce-href=“http://drugchurch.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled”>Self-Titled by DRUG CHURCH</a>
AH: Musically, this is different to other projects. Was this something you’d been looking into doing for awhile, or just a fun project?
Patrick: I’ve called Drug Church “modern” a few times, but it’s actually a bit of a throwback. I think it’s just modern sounding to me because I’ve spent the better part of a decade in a band that pulls its influences from even older references.
The period of music that Drug Church is most influenced by is among my favourites. I love “alternative music” and really the artists that were chosen to represent it in popular culture. So being able to explore some of those sounds with people who also like the good part is fulfilling as hell.
AH: Can you name some influences both personally and for the band?
Patrick: The band loves Quicksand and Seaweed. Because they are using those as references, I thought it best to keep away from those when formulating my approach. I’m using Ned’s Atomic Dustbin as my chief influence.
AH: What’re your touring plans? Potential UK dates?
Patrick: Yeah. The dudes have never toured overseas before and I love the UK, so we’re in. I want to start hammering the East Coast with shows and see what pops up after that. I think instead of working really hard and booking shows myself all the time, we’re just going to act like we’re better than everyone and wait for people to believe it. From there, the sky’s the limit.
AH: Can you name your favourite UK band and give us some bands you think people should be checking out?
Patrick: I love the sound, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Killing Joke, and Colin Newman. My all time favourite is probably The Jam. I was directed to the band Silent Front recently and I’m enjoying their last record. I strongly urge everyone to familiarize themselves with the Jam. I have no idea how accurate the band’s depiction of the British class system is, but it’s certainly vivid.
AH: If you had to give one piece of advice that someone could carry through their life, what would that be?
Patrick: Life is a joke. You can either take that shit seriously and embarrass yourself by being the dude who doesn’t get it, or you can try and find the humour in it. Chill out, bro.
‘Drug Church’ 7" by Drug Church is available now through No Sleep Records.
Drug Church links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp|Big Cartel|Tumblr
NOTE: At the time of interview, the 7" was not released and Drug Church have since signed to No Sleep Records.
Words by Rosie Kerr.