Interview | Incendiary
featuring Brendan Garrone
For starters, I was first introduced to Incendiary from the No Jumper interview a few years back. In it, you referred to the name ‘Incendiary’ as an allusion to describe the stubbornness of doing whatever it takes to make the band work. What was the greatest difficulty to push through in the process of releasing ‘Change The Way You Think About Pain’?
I think it's always tricky to know when a song is "done" lyrically. I tend to obsess over every single word, line, etc. and It's easy to get in your own head and constantly try and tweak and refine things. I've really worked hard to know when to say enough is enough and close the book, so to speak, on any given song. I knew we had 3 albums worth of material prior to this and so I wanted to make sure that I was satisfied with every single placement and line in the record and ensure it held up to our previous work.
The instant vocals on ‘Bite The Hook’ gave me the same feeling as when I first heard ‘Fact or Fiction’. Was it at all difficult to try to capture a similar sound this time around?
We weren't necessarily trying to capture the same sound as on Thousand Mile Stare, I think if anything we were focused on refining the sound on this record to be more dynamic in terms of tone. We wanted it to sound a little dirtier, heavier, and a little less polished and I think by and large we accomplished that. We felt like Bite The Hook was a good way to open the record because it hits hard from the start and sets the tone and vibe for the rest of the record.
I’ve heard you refer to songwriting as a sort of combination between an art and a science. Can you speak a bit more about the formula used to write the new album?
It was important to us to not do another album just because we felt like we had to write one, we wanted it to be more organic. I have to credit our guitarist Brian who had a lot of the vision for the record and was the catalyst for us locking in and committing to another LP. Him and our drummer Dan spent a ton of time together working on the skeleton of the album and I sat with the practice recordings for a while and put in quite a bit of time working on themes, concepts and lyrics. Once we had that it came together really well. This time we also did a good amount of preproduction with Will Putney prior to recording which really helped to get an outside POV and ensure the songs were all in the best place they could be.
What was it like to be in LA again and play Chain Reaction this past summer?
LA is basically the best city in the world for Incendiary, the support we've had over the years has been incredible and it's been home to some of our most memorable shows. Playing Chain was definitely a long time highlight and is one of those bucket list venues you want to cross off your list. Both shows were great.
Seeing an influx of new hardcore fans, there’s also an emergence of newer bands that are touring heavy right now. Who’s giving you hope to carry the torch for Long Island/NY these days?
There are so many great newer bands from Long Island, I love seeing younger kids still doing bands and contributing, making sure this thing we're all a part of continues. Pain of Truth just released one of the best albums of the year and Koyo's is coming out shortly. Both bands are killing it around the world right now. Heavy Hex and Private Mind are 2 newer bands I'm digging and both have new music coming out on Bridge Nine and Triple B, respectively.
Top 5 albums from the Closed Casket Activities catalog?
Wow, this is a great question but so hard! Ok in no particular order:
Fleshwater - We're Not Here To Be Loved
Vein - Errorzone
Harm's Way - Isolation
Disgrace - Songs of Suffering
Suburban Scum/Xibalba - Split
Honorable Mention:
The Network - Bishop Kent Manning (LP)
Nails/Full of Hell - Split
I know you’re rooted in BMX but any connections/shout outs to the skate world?
I've been a fan of skating my whole life and dabbled in it when I was younger with very little success. I rode a Mark Appleyard board and used to watch Welcome to Hell, the Flip videos Sorry, and Really Sorry, and the Baker Bootleg video amongst others (sorry I am old). I've always loved the connection between BMX/Skating and Punk and Hardcore music.
Photos: Nia Garza
Originally published in Issue 2 - January 2024