In case you missed it, we are exclusively premiering the debut EP from Lincoln pop punks For All The Wrong Reasons. Having formed at the start of the year, the quintet have quickly got to work by producing five songs of energetic, honest pop punk.
Bounded together by anthemic numbers and close friendships, the quintet are influenced by the current crop of pop punk bands like The Story So Far, The Wonder Years and Man Overboard. On ‘We’re Not Losing, We’re Just Not Winning’, FATWR have took the positive message those bands promote and combined it with a sense of sincerity.
We grabbed a word with the band recently to discuss their beginnings, recording the EP, the Lincoln music scene and more.
Already Heard: Can you state your name and your role in For All The Wrong Reasons?
FATWR: Hi guys, we’re For All The Wrong Reasons. We’re just like any other boy band, except we play with fire and do stupid things! Our lead singer and twerking aficionado is Alex Statham, our guitarists are Jacob Pointing and Chris Dunn, slapping the bass we have Aiden De Ruiter and bashing things in the corner and pretending he is a musician is Lou Coe.
AH: We hear the band only formed at the start of the year, and now you’re releasing your debut EP. How would you sum up the last six months?
FATWR: The last six months have been rad! Close friendships were formed straight away, which made recording and living in a Travelodge with each other for a week a lot easier. Musically, we sailed on, firing out songs and trying to rehearse at least once a week. It’s been hectic, busy and frustrating at times, but collectively we wouldn’t change it for the world.
AH: Could you tell us how the band came together?
FATWR: The band originally came together when Chris was bummed out about a girl, and Jacob being an ultimate bro said, “Lets form a pop-punk band and write songs about girls we hate”. Lou and Aiden were recruited straight away, as Chris and Jacob knew them from previous bands and projects. Finding a singer proved difficult at first, until Alex was invited along to a practice via Jacob and tore the roof off the rehearsal room.
AH: There’s a strong, current pop punk feel on the EP. Who would you consider as influences?
FATWR: Our influences would have to be The Story So Far, The Wonder Years, Man Overboard, Such Gold and Deaf Havana. Their songs have gotten us all through tough times and have been the anthems to many shared memories.
AH: You recently released the video for ’These Past Few Years Haven’t Been So Kind.’ What is the track about?
FATWR: The track is about Alex’s friends from a little house on Sidney Street and his best friend Ethan. Alex is cute like that.
AH: You recorded the EP at Regal House Recording Studios. How did you find that experience?
FATWR: It was insane! Some amazing bands have recorded there (Deaf Havana, Young Guns, While She Sleeps) and there we were, a bunch of kids trying not to hit bum notes and fighting for sofa space. The studio was so professional and every piece of equipment was top notch. The studio owner and sound technician were total dudes. We’d recommend any band of any genre to go there.
AH: The Lincolnshire music scene seems to be growing with bands like Lower Lands and more established bands coming to the area. How do you feel about the current local music scene?
FATWR: The Lincoln music scene used to be insane, with bands like The Killers and Bring Me The Horizon playing at the local music venue (The Duke of Wellington) before becoming more mainstream, showing that the music scene in Lincoln was a happening place. Bands were tight, had huge stage presence and confidence. People turned up to every show.
However, the scene began to get over-saturated and this caused the shows to become less and less meaningful. There were times then there was a different show on every night and while this sounds appealing, it began to drive people to become bored of seeing similar bands over and over. It was a small music scene with too many bands, and the ones that were genuinely good like Lower Lands had to fight hard and try to persuade a city that just didn’t seem to care anymore. Thankfully they seem to be doing just fine, and we hope that soon we can break through this barrier and gain more exposure and get people wanting to come see us live.
AH: Are there any local bands we should know about?
FATWR: There are some sick bands that are in the same boat as us at the moment. Crossings, LifeLines and Tomorrow Finds Her Dead just to name a few.
AH: What do you hope listeners take away from hearing the EP?
FATWR: We want our listeners to remember that even though things seem bleak at times, they can always get better. It’s always darkest before the dawn and that it’s okay to look at the glass half full, and half empty.
AH: Following the EP release in August, what do you have lined up for the rest of the year?
FATWR: Keep doing what we love. We’re playing a music festival in Skegness called “Havoc Fest” just before the EP release and we’re always looking for any shows we can get on (promoters, holla at your boys). We’re forming friendships with bands and promoters in hopes to get playing some sweet shows. We’re also designing merch and adding more songs to our repertoire, so If you like what you hear, there’s plenty more cake in this bakery.
AH: Finally why should Already Heard readers check out For All The Wrong Reasons?
FATWR: We’re only a band because we want to party with Kiss on tour. Help us achieve our dream. But seriously, we’re fun, energetic pop-punk with honest lyrics that people can relate to.
‘We’re Not Losing, We’re Just Not Winning’ by For All The Wrong Reasons is released on Monday 26th August.
For All The Wrong Reasons links: Website|Facebook|Twitter
Words by Sean Reid (@SeanReid86)