“I learned a lot about making songs, songwriting, by working with Patrick who is very good at it.”
Joe Trohman has revealed how writing with Fall Out Boy prepared him for returning to The Damned Things.
The Damned Things’ new album ‘High Crimes’ is due for release on April 26 and we recently sat down with Joe to talk through getting the band back together and his personal highlights of the record.
Plus, we asked Joe what he has learned from writing with Fall Out Boy:
“What being in Fall Out Boy has taught me is, first off, like the band or not, there’s some really talented guys in the band. I learned a lot about making songs, songwriting, by working with Patrick who is very good at it.”
“And also by being forced into a very…I wouldn’t say “cutthroat” industry but being forced to work in the music industry on these high levels where there is high demand for getting things done and getting to the point quickly.”
It turns out that the lesson then fed directly into his work on ‘High Crimes’:
“What I’ve taken from Fall Out Boy and applied to The Damned Things is, when it comes to songwriting, at least for me, I don’t wanna sit there and meander for seven minutes and wonder why I listen to this song. I wanna get to a point, I wanna get to a hook. Any great rock record, great metal record…there’s hooks. A lot of them pay attention to what is a classic pop song structure.”
“I’ve tried to apply some of that to The Damned Things and just get to the fucking point. If you don’t like the point, totally get it, but at least we’re trying to get there quickly and not have you wait for two to three minutes before there is something worthwhile to hear.”
The Damned Things recently announced a US tour with more dates expected to be announced later this year.
Check out more from our interview with Joe below: