Go inside the making of huge single ‘Blow Me’.
The Used have started a video series going behind the scenes of the making of their latest album ‘Heartwork’.
In the first clip, vocalist Bert McCracken explains how ‘Blow Me’, one of the record’s most cathartic moments, came to life.
“It feels like when The Used is making a record, we kind of write so much in the moment that often at times it’s a reflection of just simply how everyone is feeling in that moment
“If people are really tired, you notice that the song sounds more heavy and has more of a minor key lean to it.
“So ‘Blow Me’ must have been a day where half the people were well rested and fed and half the people were extremely tired and hungry.”
‘Heartwork’ is out now.
Here’s ‘Blow Me’ for ya to listen to too:
We recently spoke to Bert all about the album. You can check out the full interview HERE, but here’s a snippet:
Off the back of making ‘The Canyon’, what have the last few years looked like for you and the band and how has that led you to making an album like this?
“I think what I learned when I was making ‘The Canyon’ is that we’re a really tight band. I knew that before, but it really sunk in when we were making those songs the way that we made them. The connection that I have to the emotional side of music and what I’ve always considered to be my reason for being a die-hard music fan was because of that almost religious journey you take with yourself. It’s the contemplation and the philosophical side and that connection to the heart.
“We’ve come fairly full circle from when we were making ‘The Canyon’ really. We were in a good place and tied together, but there was a lingering poison in the group. Once we got Joey Bradford [lead guitarist], it was a refreshing new beginning to things. Things had almost a carefree lightness to them. Also, I don’t think I ever really plan things out. I think I’m always conscious of great moments and whenever I feel a little bit of inspiration for anything I make a voice note or write it down. It’s never planned. It’s always a poem or something on the creative side and I’ll stash it things away.
“So I think that all these things happened at once. Joey’s energy brought this positivity to the band and reunited us as friends and at the same inspired me to get into the best shape I’ve ever been in. I found this insane addiction for being in the gym and understanding how far that’s taken my mental health. The end result was us really wanting to recreate the beginning of The Used, which for us felt like this pure, heartfelt and honest connection to music.”
It’s interesting you wanting to return to the beginning of the band in such a way. Going from where you were then, fuelled on catharsis and anger, to now where it seems much more considered is a pretty remarkable and fascinating look into both you and the band and how both have changed.
“I think what’s cool about our connection to our own band is that we love to be a part of the nostalgia of the beginning as well. There is so much of The Used inside this record. The Used has been my little personal journal and playground for so many years. It’s a place where I can go and take my clothes off and run around naked and throw up and everything. I know that nobody is going to judge me there. It’s my safe spot. This time around I felt free to make a record that felt like the same sort of story that we’ve always been able to get lost in. I’ve been able to write lyrics that make us feel like we know exactly what this person, that person being all the stuff that I have read or listened to, is talking about. Inspired is one word, but it’s more of a subconscious stealing of stuff. And the older we get, the more stuff is in there. There’s more opportunity to go outside of the wheelhouse that we are so comfortable in.”
Aside from Joey coming into the fold, on the studio side of things working with John Feldmann again must have had an incredible effect on your creativity. It’s once again returning to that original place where The Used was forged but with a different head on your shoulders.
“There’s a newfound love for the man John Feldmann. When I first knew John Feldmann I was just a boy and we’ve always been family-style tight like brothers. There’s just so much respect and love there now that we can allow ourselves to be little kids. I can go into the studio and cry when I need to and that’s a really crazy thing to allow the music to take you to that place. What’s so special about John Feldmann is that he’s not just the hardest working producer that I know of, but also human being. He’s so driven. He will work as long as you and longer, no matter what the situation is. It’s overwhelming to be around that type of person anyway, but the drive and partition aspect of making a record with him, where he almost forces me to compete with myself, is a really special thing. It’s different now that I’m a dad and there’s so much different perspective and respect, but I still admire the man in the process the same.”
You can pick up the record on gorgeous coloured vinyl from our mates over at EMP from right HERE
