The post-hardcore quartet knows good music.
When Capsize formed in 2009, the San Diego-based rockers were entering the fluctuating music scene just as many of the artists who influence them were beginning to evanesce — be it in between projects or going on indefinite hiatuses. But when the resurgence of the emo and hardcore genres brought back several of their musical icons, singer Daniel Wand and his bandmates chose to appropriately pay homage to them on their second studio album, A Reintroduction: The Essence of All That Surrounds Me. Now that they're home from a successful year of touring, Capsize took some time to reflect on what drives them and what they look forward to in 2017.
Hometown/Homebase: San Diego, CA
How would you describe your music to people who had never heard it before? For someone who has never been to one of your shows, what can they expect to see at a performance?
Our first record is aggressive melodic hardcore, the newer one has a much heavier post-hardcore influence.
Can you explain how you chose the band name?
It was named by someone who was in the band in the real early days. That person didn't end up wanting to tour, but we kept the name as we moved on to doing the band full time.
Who are some of your musical influences? What aspects of their music drew you all to them and in what ways have they inspire you all?
Our first record pulled a lot of influence from bands like Counterparts, Defeater, The Carrier. For the next one, we got more in touch with the bands that made us want to be in bands in the very first place, like Underoath, From First To Last, The Used.
From what else does the band draw inspiration for it’s music?
All the extra energy and emotion I don't show on a daily basis because of how laid back I like to be. I save every heightened or extreme emotional reaction for when I'm creating or performing, that way I can just relax any other time.
How did the band’s unique sound come about?
I feel our sound comes from taking an influence from a handful of bands and then trying to make the darkest blend of it all possible.
What's the songwriting process like?
Usually I will kind of verbally explain an idea for a song layout and let Ryan turn it into a complete song. Sometimes Nick or Ryan will just make something on their own and share it and we are all happy straight away, other songs get adjusted for weeks at a time. It's all a little different.
