New England alternative rock band Broadwing releases a new engaging and nostalgic single, "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE" via 8 Arm Records.
Manifesting from New England's original DIY acoustic emo indie rock scene to a newly minted blend of alternative rock genres, Broadwing's connection to their previous musical endeavors, along with their potent combination of modern influences can be felt in their new-fashioned single, "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE."
"I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE" is direct in a way where it’s saying I don’t want to be a specific thing. I just want to be me as a person or a human, it’s also about not wanting to be a part of a lot of systems we find ourselves in.
With all of the judgments and craziness in the world in recent years, it's been aimed at just letting people be whoever and whatever they want rather than putting them in a box. We are all far more complex and multifaceted than most people realize.
Broadwing, an alternative two-piece from Portland, Maine, brings nostalgic pop-punk resonance to their presence and energy while delivering a contemporary sound to their audience. Broadwing brings sounds of emo trap, hyper pop, hip hop, dark pop, and metal to emo music with a rock foundation, as well as samples, beats, and synths. While the band is still in their early stages, "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE" shows they are capable of standing out within the alternative-rock genre.
What started Broadwing? What is the story behind the band's name?
Broadwing officially began in 2015, after Dave's hardcore band disbanded, and he was looking to explore different genres that he had always been influenced by but never had the opportunity to write for due to his background in metal/hardcore scenes. The band did not begin performing live or recording until 2018/2019. Dave reunited with former drummer Gage Gallant from his hardcore band, who had left 8 years earlier to join the Marine band in Florida, after moving from New Hampshire to Maine and losing some members during the COVID lockdown times. Broadwing has reformed as a two-piece with a new sound, and the two couldn't be more excited for what's to come.
The name is somewhat amusing because it refers to a bird of prey with long wings and flight feathers, but it refers to the group's theme. We believe in being honest about how bad things can be on the life rollercoaster while also laughing at them and living life to the fullest with the time we have. Nuclear bombs, 1950s propaganda, and art deco inspirations can be found in many of the band's logos. All of this is meant to depict how people are ultimately animals of prey, constantly inventing new ways to destroy ourselves and then being born again in cycles to continue the same crazy thing.
What are your influences? What musical influences shaped your single, "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE?"
It's all over the place!
Growing up, our fathers would always blast classic rock from the truck windows in the summertime, so we started listening to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, ACDC, early metal, and so on. We both started as percussionists in school, then Dave studied music in college. Gage was in the Marine band for the United States for a while, so we've both been around classical and jazz for a while. Throughout middle and high school, we were fans of Slipknot, Acacia Strain, A Day To Remember, Blink 182, Green Day, The Misfits, Have Heart, Stray From The Path, Vanna, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and a slew of other bands. Dave has spent the last few years listening to a big variety of Rap, Emo Trap, Pop, and more, so it’s starting to come out in these new singles.
We've recently become obsessed with Hyperpop and new emo artists such as Brakence and Glaive, 93 Feet Of Smoke, MGK, Magnolia Park, and 408. "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE" incorporates sounds from our past with a lot of influence from modern synthetic sounds we love, as well as a touch of metal with the drop at the end.
What was this creative process like going into making, "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE?" How was this different from your Tennesee EP in 2020?
Totally different from before. Looking back, the Tennessee EP was really a transitional sound for the band coming from the previous playing in harder bands and Dave never being the primary writer before that EP was a lot of playing around with "What are we supposed to be?"
With this single and our upcoming releases, it feels like we've finally found the sound we're looking for. Creatively, I believe we work differently than many bands in that both of us are drummers who just kept surviving band breakups and figuring out whatever instrument we had to figure out to keep going, but we aren't strong on those instruments, so we reverse engineer songs a lot. Dave drives a lot during the work week, so he records singing melodies on his phone and sends them to Gage, who then passes guitar recordings back and forth until they get together to work on molding them more.
Once we've decided on a good concept, we record the entire song acoustically in a recording DAW, then actively take entire sections out and recreate them with new instruments and textures to help us disrupt the way we've always written songs. It forces us to reconsider and does not allow us to operate on autopilot. Many times, writing a song becomes like working with a beat, where after pieces are written, they are looped or resampled to create something new from the building blocks. We ended up using the acoustic guitar recordings from our bedroom as the main pieces of the song in "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE" and our next single "This Year," and then added and altered everything else.
It's been different writing together as a two-piece than any other project because there are fewer voices in the room to decide on the sound, but it's also super nostalgic because we were in a band together 8 years ago, so nothing feels like it's changed all at once.
Lyrically, what made you guys want to write "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE?"
Lyrically, Gage and Dave were in different places but felt a common vibe. It all boils down to a few factors. The feeling that people frequently form a perception of who you are based on social media or the internet and then hold that as reality before meeting you several times, as well as the pressures of how content and the internet show what people want to show and try to label everyone as a "thing" to everyone else. "I DNT WNT 2 B ANYONE" is direct in a way where it’s saying I don’t want to be a specific thing. I just want to be me as a person or a human, it’s also about not wanting to be a part of a lot of systems we find ourselves in.
With all of the judgments and craziness in the world in recent years, it's been aimed at just letting people be whoever and whatever they want rather than putting them in a box. We are all far more complex and multifaceted than most people realize.
The music video depicts the band not being seen for the majority of the video until they find all of their friends and throw a DIY show in a warehouse when they've been seen and heard.
Most importantly, the song, like any of our music, is about whatever the listener feels it is about them and their story.
How has this single made you grow as an artist from the last EP?
MAJOR! This is the most significant shift we've experienced. So far, we've been thrilled with the response to this style shift from what we've previously shared with people, and we feel right at home. This was the first time the band hired an outside producer (Duncan Cook aka Desmo" from Portland, ME to get an outside voice while working together and went all out with music video, merch, and website to be in it for the long haul.
Tennessee was great and expressed a lot of difficult times, but we're excited about the polish, darkness, and more modern sound that the newer setup has brought.
What do you want people to take from this single release?
Don’t worry about who people think you are, just worry about who YOU think you are and know that whatever you see on the internet isn’t always the full truth. Everyone has hard times and great moments so find who lets you be seen and have those moments with them.
Also if you like it, get ready for a lot more from us, haha.
What's next for you guys?
We have another single called "This Year," which will be released on October 21st, 2022, along with a music video shot in a skate park for all those OG kids who, like us, had their music shaped by Tony Hawk games. Fellow Mainers will recognize even more locations around town in this one, as both music videos were shot in Maine.
We also recently began writing with a producer who most people will recognize, but we are keeping the details under wraps for the time being.
We're planning a local New England tour next year when more of our music is released, as well as some east coast or Canada, dates next summer, so come rage with us.