For our latest premiere, we’ve teamed up with promising US pop punk act The Weekend Classic. Hailing from Madison, Indiana, the four-piece consisting of Chris Webster (vocals/guitar), Christian Richards (drums), Ryan Wells (guitar/vocals) and Matt White (bass) are preparing to release a new EP titled ‘Forever Is Irrelevant’ in this spring. ‘Shattered Glass’ is the first track to be released from the EP.
It sees the quintet combine an harder edge to their summery pop punk sound. The end result makes ‘Shattered Glass’ a vibrant but gritty number with a favourable melody.
Although ‘Forever Is Irrelevant’ is yet to see the light of day, The Weekend Classic will be going back into the studio in April to record with producer Seth Henderson (Real Friends, Knuckle Puck).
Nevertheless in the meantime we catched up with drummer Christian Richards to find out more about The Weekend Classic, ‘Shattered Glass’ and their forthcoming new material.
AH: So today we’re premiering the video for ‘Shattered Glass’ but bring us up to speed with the history of The Weekend Classic?
Christian: Way back before being old enough to drive a van, Chris Webster and I (Christian) had the same bus route home. At the time, I had just started to pick up drumming. Chris had already started to make a name in our local music scene. After realizing we had a common interest in music, we began practicing in my parents garage nearly every day after school. After graduating High School we went on to create The Weekend Classic with Ryan Wells, and later Matthew White.
AH: Compared to your ‘A Year of Growth’ EP, ‘Shattered Glass’ seems to have a rockier edge. How would you sum up the overall tone of the track?
Christian: We definitely took from different influences for our new song, ‘Shattered Glass’. It was the second song we had written for our new EP (‘Forever Is Irrelevant’) right before we went on our first tour back in May 2015. As soon as we returned from that tour, we went into the studio to track a few songs. We decided to release ‘Shattered Glass’ first because we believe it sets the mood for the rest of the EP that we’ll be releasing soon. It is about moving on from the everyday burdens that we can’t change.
AH: This is the first bit of new material since Matt White joined the band last Autumn. How has he settled in?
Christian: Matt has already become a crucial member of our band. Quickly after joining, he began to add his signature to our newer material. He just as excited as we are to explore this new chapter of The Weekend Classic.
AH: You’re also set to begin recording a new batch of songs with producer Seth Henderson in April. Is ‘Shattered Glass’ an indication of what we can expect from future material?
Christian: Each song on the EP has its own atmosphere while using some of the same elements that created “Shattered Glass.” We feel we have created a sound that we feel comfortable writing to. We think it’s a big jump in the right direction for our band. We are beyond excited to be recording a few new songs with Seth Henderson in late Spring! We hope to continue with the vibe of ‘Forever Is Irrelevant’ while still maturing and expanding our sound. This will be a completely new adventure for us. We’re extremely excited to be working with a producer that has contributed to bands that we draw influence from.
AH: For new and longtime fans, why should they look out for ‘Forever is Irrelevant’ in the coming months?
Christian: We definitely put more thought and emotion into this record. ‘A Year Of Growth’ was just some songs that we had recorded and threw together in the early years of our band, whereas ‘Forever Is Irrelevant’ was planned with a sort of theme that we wanted to follow. We believe old fans will appreciate the maturity and we hope to draw a larger crowd due to better content and material. It’s less about self-pity and more about self-progression. We’ve grown as musicians and it shows in the music.
The Weekend Classic links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|Bandcamp
Have a new video or song you’d like to premier on Already Heard? If so contact Sêan Reid to find out more.
Words by Sêan Reid (@SeanReid86)
