“It’s always been strange to me when somebody goes off and does a side project that ends up sounding exactly like their original band!” – Mark Hoppus.
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Simple Creatures talk their debut EP ‘Strange Love’ inside the current issue of Rock Sound – and they discuss their musical inspirations of their new project.
Speaking on the musical and creative direction that they’ve taken Simple Creatures, Mark Hoppus has shared “One of my main intentions was to not have this sound anything like blink-182… It’s always been strange to me when somebody goes off and does a side project that ends up sounding exactly like their original band! We really embraced the electronic side of music production, pursuing these different ideas of what a guitar, a keyboard, or a human voice could sound like. We didn’t even really talk to a lot of our friends about what we were doing. We were just getting in the studio and having fun, seeing what this could become.”
“I think Mark and I have a shared fascination with dark pop music, and obviously that starts with The Cure,” added Alex. “Because of that, the sense of taking these catchy, slick pop songs, but threading them with dark themes, sometimes sad or challenging lyrics, really appealed to us. If we had an idea that felt like it went too close to something we’d done before, we’d go, ‘Nope, that feels too safe, let’s go the other way.’”
“I’ve always loved dark, disturbing lyrics over happy and uplifting melodies and music,” Mark noted. “With the song ‘Strange Love’ itself, I was asking Alex about how some of his bandmates are always out at bars, partying, and how they can live that kind of lifestyle – and the idea just spun out from there. Eventually, we ended up with a song that’s kind of about orgies, in a strange way! And ‘Drug’ became about how the things that you enjoy end up destroying you.”
“It was cathartic to get into the studio and work through whatever was going on in my brain. Everyone was laughing and having a great time, cracking jokes and trying to write great songs. So while the lyrics come from a troubled place, the music itself comes from a place of joy. It’s like a troubled love song, dark,
but hopeful.”
This is just a taster – check out our full interview with Simple Creatures’ Alex Gaskath and Mark Hoppus inside The Maine’s issue of Rock Sound! It’s available now from SHOP.ROCKSOUND.TV